Upsala Glacier

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/upsala-glacier

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Eastern side of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, straddling the Chile-Argentina border
2. What is the primary flow direction?North to South
3. Why is the Upsala Glacier shrinking?The glacier is melting faster because the climate is warming. As it retreats, it loses support from islands, making the ice move more quickly.
4. How fast is the Upsala Glacier retreating?Since about 2008, the glacier has been retreating roughly ten times faster than it did in the previous eight years.

Outlet Glacier: A glacier that flows out from a larger ice sheet or ice field, often towards the sea or a lake.
Mass Balance: The difference between the amount of snow accumulating on a glacier and the amount of ice lost through melting and sublimation.
Calving: The process by which icebergs break off from the edge of a glacier or ice shelf and fall into the water.
Backstress: The pressure exerted by the weight of ice behind a point on a glacier, which can influence its flow rate.