Encompasses all the ways in which ice mass is lost from the surface of a glacier or ice sheet, such as melting at the surface or the base (underside), and evaporation. However, ablation does not include loss due to ice flow. The opposite of ablation is accumulation. Rates of ablation and accumulation affect the mass balance of a glacier.

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    News

    When things slow down during the summer holiday season, in arcticDefinitions of the Arctic vary according to environmental, geographical, political, cultural and scientific perspectives. Some

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  • > Glacier

    Glossary

    A glacierA glacier is a large, persistent body of land-based ice that forms over many years where the accumulation of snow is greater than its

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  • > Mass balance

    Glossary

    The difference between the amount of ice a glacier gains in winter and the amount lost in summer. A glacierA glacier is a large, persistent body of

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  • > Accumulation

    Glossary

    Encompasses all the ways in which a body of ice (a glacierA glacier is a large, persistent body of land-based ice that forms over many

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