📋 Named Glaciers: Evidence from Around the World
Named examples with specific data are essential for exam answers. Learn at least two of these in detail.
Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand: One of the few glaciers in the world that advances to low altitudes through temperate rainforest. In 2024 it was noted for advancing against the global trend of retreat — fed by exceptionally heavy snowfall in its accumulation zone. Demonstrates that local precipitation patterns can override global temperature trends in the short term. The glacier carves through hard greywacke and schist bedrock — striations and polished rock surfaces are well-preserved where the glacier has recently retreated.
Athabasca Glacier, Canadian Rockies: Part of the Columbia Icefield and one of the most-visited glaciers on Earth. Has retreated approximately 1.5 km since 1890 and lost more than 50% of its volume. Markers placed along the access road show the glacier's position in different decades — making the retreat visually dramatic for visitors. Provides clear evidence that ablation is far exceeding accumulation as global temperatures rise. Rock flour in the outflow meltwater gives the nearby Bow River its distinctive turquoise-grey colour.
Rhône Glacier, Switzerland: The source of the River Rhône. Has retreated approximately 3 km since 1870, with detailed photographic records from the 19th century onwards showing progressive retreat. The newly exposed bedrock surfaces show excellent striations oriented south-westward, revealing the direction of former ice flow. Local tourism operators now wrap part of the glacier in white fleece blankets in summer to slow melting — a striking visual demonstration of the impact of rising temperatures on glacial mass balance.
Lake District, UK (Rydal Cave and Langdale): No active glaciers remain in the UK, but evidence of past glaciation is abundant. Striations in the bedrock of Rydal Cave run south to south-east, proving ice moved in that direction across the central Lake District during the last Ice Age. Lateral moraines are visible on the valley sides above Langdale. Norwegian erratics have been found on the North Yorkshire coast, demonstrating the extent and direction of the last British Ice Sheet.
