Glaciology is the science of what? What will the glaciologist learn?

Glaciology is the science of what? What do specialists do that work in this area? Let's try to find the answer to these and other questions.

What is the study of glaciology?

The term comes from the Latin words "glacies" - ice, and "logos" - doctrine, word. Glaciology is the science of ice that forms in the natural environment on the surface of the planet, in the lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere.

The tasks assigned to science include:

• Studying the features of the formation of glaciers, the conditions of their existence;
• Study of the composition, physical properties of ice;
• Consideration of the geological impact of glaciers on the surface of the planet;
• The study of the geography of the distribution of ice formations.

Glaciology is the science of ice, which is inextricably linked with physics, geology. Specialists in this field widely use methods of mechanics and geographic sciences.

History of the formation of science

The beginning of the teaching was put by the famous Swiss mountaineer, geologist and naturalist Horace Benedikt Saussure. The tasks and subject of the new scientific trend he revealed in his handwritten work "Journey to the Alps." The work was compiled by the scientist from 1779 to 1796.

A specific range of problems that faces glaciology is emerging in the 19th century. However, at this time, scientists felt a lack of systematic materials about glaciers. The specialists lacked knowledge of the physical properties of ice, its behavior. Therefore, the first serious stage in the formation of glaciology as a science was characterized mainly by the accumulation of knowledge, the formation of scientific methods.

The beginning of the 20th century was marked for science by the launch of a number of large-scale expeditions aimed at investigating glaciations concentrated in the polar circle. Contributed to the disclosure of the essence of physical phenomena that occur in glaciers, the emergence of such accurate methods as: aerial photography, photogrammetry, thermal drilling, soil sounding. During this period, scientists managed to develop a single classification of ice, to trace the features of the movement, formation and melting of glaciers.

During the last century, extensive information was collected on the geographical distribution of permafrost. Scientists managed to open new glaciers and make catalogs with their detailed description.

What are glaciologists doing?

Glaciologist is a profession whose essence lies in the study of ice formations formed in the natural environment. Such specialists are studying the features of the appearance of glaciers, their behavior, processes, which lead to the melting of ice.

The glaciologist is a work that involves the study of avalanches, reservoirs that formed as a result of melting ice. Moreover, experts of this category make dangerous routes on maps, thus preventing the occurrence of accidents and natural disasters.

What is the practical significance of glaciology?

Glaciology is a science that studies, first of all, the wide spread of glaciers on the surface of the planet. According to scientists, such formations occupy about 11% of the entire land area. They contain about 29 million km ^{3 of} fresh water. The development of science contributes to the rational use of water resources of rivers and lakes, which are formed due to the melting of glaciers.

In addition, glaciology is the science of how to prevent natural disasters, the cause of which is the change in the behavior of glaciers. The practical aspect of the development of the exercise is also to keep records of the territories that are released as a result of the movement of glaciers, with a view to carrying out economic activities.

Scientific institutes

A whole network of special institutions has been created to study glaciers in Russia, the United States, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Great Britain, and other highly developed countries. Since 1894, the International Glaciological Commission has been operating, which deals with the study of snow and ice.

For the development of science, a number of stations have been organized, which are concentrated in the Polar Urals, Franz Josef Land, Altai, Novaya Zemlya, in the Northeast and Central Asia.

Important glaciological studies

The first serious expeditions aimed at studying the world's largest glaciers were organized during the period from 1923 to 1933 by Soviet scientists. Observations were conducted in Central Asia, the Urals, and Novaya Zemlya. The purpose of the expeditions was mainly the collection of useful information about glacial formations.

An impressive impetus to the development of science was given by an expedition organized by the Soviet researcher GA Avsyuk in the period from 1950 to 1960. It was sent to observe the glaciers of the Tien Shan. As a result, scientists managed to establish the tempo and patterns of permafrost movement.

In 1877, the world community decided to organize a special aerospace service, which should monitor the melting of snow and ice in various regions of the planet. The purpose of its creation was the formation of data on the processes that lead to the replenishment of freshwater resources on Earth. For the first time such observations were carried out by the crew of the space station Salyut-6. The studies were of a visual nature. The bulk of valuable data scientists have been able to collect through the use of 12-fold and 6-fold binoculars. Images of the earth's surface, which were carried out from a height of about 350 km, made it possible to obtain a whole mass of high-quality images, through which it was possible to perform fairly accurate measurements.

In 2012, the national glaciologists who worked in Antarctica managed to successfully drill an ice cap, the thickness of which was about 4 km. Scientists have access to the waters of the prehistoric subglacial lake. The study of a unique ecosystem, which was formed over several million years, made it possible to identify microorganisms previously unknown to science. The discovery was important for the development not only of glaciology, but also of space research. His unexpected results suggested that such biologically active broths exist not only under the ice cap of the Earth, but also on other planets, and also their satellites.