| Term: | Submergence velocity |
| Definition: | The vertical component, when it is directed downward, of the glacier-flow velocity vector at the glacier surface, at a point fixed in space. When the component is directed upward, it is called the emergence velocity. The submergence 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. |