1. The Cryosphere
Grade 10 Science

2. Cryosphere (earth’s frozen water)
Pack ice & ice flows: frozen seawater floating on oceans near the North and South poles
Melting due to global warming
Does NOT cause a significant increase in global sea levels when melted
Glaciers: mass of ice on land
DOES cause an increase in sea level
Glaciers are frozen freshwater, therefore diluting sea water and adding to its volume
Found a website that explains the decreasing land ice mass (glaciers) in Antarctica, in support of the negative effects of global warming. Also explains that pack ice is increasing down South, which is a little harder to explain.
Also, did some research and it seems that pack ice is frozen seawater (brine is trapped between the ice crystals) so for our intents and purposes, it doesn’t increase sea levels…

3. 79% of the world’s freshwater!
Glaciers
Found at the top of mountain
Most of them are found at the pole
(Greenland and Antarctica)
79% of the world’s freshwater!

5. Effect of melting glaciers
Causing sea levels to rise, endangering coastal communities.
Diluting the ocean, by the addition of freshwater.
The change in salinity is affecting the thermohaline circulation,
which accounts for much
of the oceanic heat
transport that regulates
climate.  global-wide climate change

6. Melting Pack Ice

7. Energy Resources Hydroelectricity – dams across rivers & water falls
Renewable?
Pros
Cons
Hydro-
electricity
Waves & ocean currents
Very little greenhouse gas emissions
Environmental impacts (i.e. flooding)
Yes
No pollution
Expensive
Yes
Hydroelectricity – dams across rivers & water falls
Waves and ocean currents – buoys & underwater turbines

8. Water contamination:
Examples: Oil spills, pesticides, fertilizers, large variety of chemicals discharged by industries, etc.
EUTROPHICATION:
Occurs when an excess of organic material and nutrients (rich in N and P) accumulate in waterways, resulting in a loss of dissolved oxygen.
Nitrogen & phosphorous originate from the run-off of fertilizers and pesticides.

10. Cryosphere
The cryosphere consists of all the frozen water on the Earth’s surface.

11. Pack Ice
Pack ice is composed of the ice floating on the oceans near the North and South poles.

12. Glaciers
A glacier is a mass of ice on land, formed by compressed snow.

13. Compressed snow turns to ice

14. Icebergs

15. Iceberg

16. Iceberg

17. Iceberg

18. Iceberg

19. Greenland

20. Glaciers and pack ice melting
Impacts:
Sea levels rise due to glacier melting
Affects thermohaline ciculation
Fresh water is released from glaciers  mixes with the Gulf stream density of water decreases  water does not sink  ocean currents slow (but will not stop)