what is the difference between a glacier and an iceberg?
100156
<An iceberg (berg is the German word for mountain) is a large piece of ice that has broken off from a glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water.Since the density of pure water ice is ca. 920 kg/m3, and that of seawater ca. 1025 kg/m3, typically, around 90% of the volume of an iceberg is under water, and that portion's shape can be difficult to surmise from looking at what is visible above the surface. This has led to the expression "tip of the iceberg", generally applied to a problem or difficulty, meaning that the problem is only a small manifestation of a larger trouble.The mass can be very durable and can easily damage sheet metal. As a result of these factors, icebergs are considered extremely dangerous hazards to shipping. The most famous sinking from an iceberg collision was the destruction of the RMS Titanic on April 14, 1912.
623863
Here are some cool facts...\n\n~Antarctica is actually a desert, receiving about the same precipitation (less than 2 inches a year), as the Sahara Desert. \n\n~Dogs have been banned from Antarctica to protect the seal population. \n\n~If Antarctica were to melt, the sea level would rise over 200 feet. \n\nHere are some links that have more...
593379
what is the difference between the two
475424
I guess you're asking about freeze-driven breaking of rocks, yes? Water gets into cracks, cold weather comes, water freezes, ice expands, rock cracks more and breaks. Same thing as freeze-broken pipes, and what happens to the cells in frostbite.
643111
Because ice-bergs are already on the earth and factored in.\n\nA better question is why we don't capture some frozen comets and drop them in the oceans.  :-)
839668
Here's what I found... \n\n\n\nPhysical Features:\n\nThe main mountain system of the Scandinavian peninsula hardly deserves its name of Kjdlen' (the keel). It may rather be described as a plateau deprived of the appearance of a plateau, being on the one hand grooved by deep valleys, while on the other many salient peaks tower above its average level. Such peaks, during the later Glacial period, stood above the ice-field. Peaks and ridges were formed by the action of small glaciers cutting out each its circular hollow (botn) just as they still work on the remaining snow-fields. But where the power of the main ice-mass was at work, the characteristic rounded forms of base rock are seen, close above the sea along the coast, but even as high as 5000 ft. in some inland localities. The high plateau lies along the W. side of the peninsula, so that except in the S.E. Norway is mountainous throughout. Even the part excepted is hilly, but it partakes of the character of the long eastern or Swedish slope of the peninsula. Beyond the coast line their floors sink far below sea-level, and thus are formed the fjords and the belt of rugged islands which characterize almost the entire seaboard of Norway. Where Norway marches with Russia, a few heights exceed 3000,or even 4000 ft., but the land is not generally of great elevation. But from the point of junction with Swedish territory the mountains increase considerably in height. For a short distance, as far south as Lake Tome, the loftiest points lie within Norwegian territory, such as Jaggevarre (6283 ft.), between Lyngen and Ulfs fjords, and Kiste Fjeld (5653 ft.) farther inland. Thereafter the principal heights lie approximately along the crest-line of the plateau and within Swedish territory. Sulitelma, however (6158 ft.), lies on the frontier. Southward again the higher summits fall to Norway. S. of Boa, Svartisen (" the black ice "), a magnificent snow-field bordering the coast, and feeding many glaciers, culminates at 5246 ft. Thereafter, Okstinderne or Oxtinderne (6273 ft.), and the Store Borge Fjeld (5587 ft.) are the principal elevations as far as 64° N. A little S. of this latitude the so-called Trondhjem depression is well marked right across the central upland, the height of the mountains not often exceeding 4000 ft., while the peaked form characteristic of the heights which rose clear of the glaciers of the later Glacial period is wanting. It is from this point too that Norwegian territory broadens 1 In Norwegian the definite article (when there is no epithet) is added as a suffix to the substantive (masc. and fern. en, neuter et). Geographical terms are similarly suffixed to names, thus Suldalsvandet, the lake Suldal. The commonest geographical terms are: elm, river; vand, lake; fjeld, mountain or highland; o, island; dal, valley; noes, cape; fos, waterfall; brce, glacier; vik, vig, bay; eide, isthmus; fjord. Aa is pronounced aw. \n\nso as to include not only the highest land in the peninsula, but a considerable part of the general E. and S.E. slope. The high plateau broadens and follows the S.W. sweep of the coast. Pursuing it S. the Dovre Fjeld is marked off by the valleys of the rivers Driva and Sundal, Laagen (or Laugen) and Rauma, and the fjords of the coastland of Nordmdre. Here Sneha tta reaches a height of 7615 ft., and the Romsdal (the name under which the Rauma valley is famous among tourists) is flanked by many abrupt jagged peaks up to 6000 ft. high. The valley of the Laagen forms the upper part of Gudbrandsdal. East of this and S.E. of the Dovre is another fjeld, Rondane, in which Hdgronden rises to 6929 ft. South of the Otta valley is Jotunheim or Jdtun Fjeld, a sparsely peopled, in parts almost inaccessible, district, containing the highest mountains in Scandinavia, Galdhiipiggen reaching 8399 ft. On the seaward side of Jotunheim is Jostedalsbra, a great snow-field in which Lodalskaupen reaches a height of 6795 ft. South of Sogne Fjord (61° N.)
323097
Ice has a lower density than water. When water freezes, the way in which the molecules rearrange to make a solid means that they are slightly further apart than in liquid water. Since density = mass/volume, and in ice there is slightly less mass in the same volume, ice is less dense.\n\nTherefore, because of Archimedes' buoyancy principle (the upward force on an object in liquid is equal to the mass of substance *displaced* by the object), ice floats. The ice displaces a volume of water equal to the volume of ice, but that volume of water has more mass than the same volume of ice, so the upward force is greater than the mass of ice. So the ice floats.
930949
Hi. Albedo results from two properties, reflectance and illumination. The illumination follows the inverse square law so, knowing the distance, you can calculate the actual illumination. Diameter vs albedo is a tougher problem because as one goes up the other goes down. If you assume a relatively pristine ice body you can make a pretty good guess. Short of an occultation that seems to be about as good as you can get.
125690
The south pole has a manned base and in the middle of a wide-open flat area.  The north pole is somewhere in a huge conglomerate of unstable icebergs, is constantly shifting, and has no operations base.
405125
Often they form over centuries or millenia.  They are formed by snowfall that does not melt during the warmer months.  As each year's snowfall adds to the layers, it begins to move downhill.  Factors involved in the speed of glacier formation are the amount of snowfall, the amount of evaporation durning the dry season, and the amount of meltoff each year.  Some glaciers in Alaska and Siberia and Scadanavia are literally thousands of years old.  In Antarctica, they are millions of years old.  The glacier in the Mt. Saint Helens volcano crater (Washington State, USA), has formed in just 25 years!
986318
Melting means "turn into a liquid."  Ice will melt into liquid water.\n\nSmelting means "turn into a metal from an ore."  This includes a melting or fusing, but the word is always used with a metallic ore.  Iron oxide can be smelted into metallic iron.
432623
It depends on the temperature of the water and the air but if they are the same, then the ice in the water will melt faster because water is a better conductor for heat.
883519
There is not really something like a critical point for glaciers. As long as temperatures are rising and are resulting in a negative mass balance the glaciers will keep on melting. But that's not irreversible - thinking rather in "geological" time scales, decades or hundreds or thousands of years. As soon as the mass balance gets positive (due to temperature and/OR more precipitation) glaciers will grow again.\n\nThinking e.g. of a huge volcanic eruption or a comet / asteroid hitting the earth and blowing dust into the atmosphere blocking sun light, that might lead to a global "freezing", maybe even to a next ice age.
443894
an ice age increases the coverage of ice on the planet which obviously makes it colder.. but also means that radiation from the sun is reflected back into the atmosphere making it cooler again and perpetuating the ice age. precipitation also decreases, ie it rains and snows less (antartica is the driest continent in the world). wind is produced by air currents which are created by warm air rising in various patterns around the globe, so wind patterns would alter which would also affect the climate. additionally ocean currents would be altered by the increase of ice and colder waters, which would again alter the climates in maritime areas
284203
Ice lowers the melting point of water, so it causes the ice to turn to liquid water and break up.  If it's *really* cold, this doesn't help.
1036867
Of course ice and water are chemically identical consisting of H2O.  The two hydrogen atoms attach to the oxygen atom other than in a straight line (not like beads on a string).  The electron field surrounding the water molecule is uneven providing it with a "polarity" that makes it much easier to pack many molecules together in a given (rather than arbitrary) arrangement.  When water is a vapor (or steam) there is so much vibrational energy that the molecules bounce off each other maintaining a "pressure" depending on their energy (temperature).  When the molecules are a liquid, they are very closely packed and are nearly incompressible (even seven miles below the surface of the ocean!).  The bulk water expands and contracts only a little with temperature changes.  When heat is removed from the water (in a freezer?) the molecules are attracted to each other in a preferred array due to polarity and form long chains of molecules that use up space far less efficiently.  The "ice" is less dense and floats on water because the space between chains is filled with a vacuum or gases that weigh very little.  When the water is allowed to freeze in open space (a cloud?) the polarity is free to align water molecules in the most preferred orientation; a six sided snow flake.  When hoar frost forms on a cold window pane the ice forms in dendrites, like growing Christmas trees.  Hope that helps a little.
583824
ice has less density than water.  the H2O bonds in ice are in a crystal lattice structure and there are small bits of air trapped between them.