| Term: | Emergence velocity |
| Definition: | The vertical component, when it is directed upward, of the glacier-flow velocity vector at the glacier surface, at a point fixed in space. When the component is directed downward, it is called the submergence velocity. The emergence velocity is related through the continuity equation to the climatic-basal mass balance and the rate of thickness change. The component is typically upward in the ablation zone and downward in the accumulation zone. |