ESS101C
Prof.
Jin-Yi Yu
Temperature and Ice Mass Balance
qContinental ice sheets exist
because the
overall rate at which snow and ice accumulates equals or exceeds the overall rate of ice loss or
ablation.
qTemperature is the main factor that determine whether ice sheets are
in a regime of
net ablation (negative mass balance) or net accumulation (positive mass balance).
qThe
boundary between the upper area of positive mass balance and the lower area of net loss of ice mass is
called the equilibrium line.
little water vapor
rain
(from Earth’s Climate: Past and Future)