Periodic variations of glaciers

✍ Scribed by C.

• Book ID: 103089219
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1882
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 59 KB
• Volume: 113
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-0032
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-0032(82)90168-5

✦ Synopsis

Periodic Variations of Glaciers.--M. F. A. Forel,of Morges, presented to the first general meeting of the Swiss Society of Natural Science his investigations upon the periodic variations of glaciers. The present remarkable period of glacial retreat began about 1840 in some places, but the Unteraar glacier did not begin to diminish until about 1871. The period is now coming to an end and many of the glaciers are beginning to increase again. The differences of length are immediately traceable to periodic variations in the velocity of flow, which are due to corresponding variations in the thickness of the glacier. These are due partly to differences of snow-fall upon the summits, partly to variations in the summer heat; the latter cause has probably only secondary influence. The retreat which is just ending is attributable to a deficit of snow which dates back from 40 to 60 years and a series of warm smnmers for the past 20 years.--Les .l[ondes.

C.