Ablation

Alternative definitions (11), class: vernacular (0)
Term: Ablation
Definition: The loss of ice and snow from a glacier system. This occurs through a variety of processes including melting and runoff, sublimation, evaporation, calving, and wind transportation of snow out of a glacier basin. All processes that remove snow, ice, or water from a snowfield, glacier, etc., that is typically melt, evaporation, sublimation as well as wind erosion, avalanches, calving, etc.; in this sense, the opposite of accumulation. In many publications before 1980, ablation did not include mechanical removal of either snow or ice, i.e., wind erosion, avalanches, calving, etc.
Created 2022.03.08
Last Modified 2023.03.27
Contributed by GCW Glossary
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