Is glacier ice very cold?
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Welcome to CoreFacts, where we're always short on time and big on science. I'm Danielle Eganhouse. Today's question is about the temperature of glaciers.
Is glacier ice very cold?
Not really - most of the glacier ice in Alaska is only a few tenths of a degree below the melting temperature, except for a surface layer a few meters thick that is cooled during winter. As a consequence, most glaciers in Alaska are not frozen to their beds. These glaciers are referred to as "temperate" glaciers. Glaciologists refer to a glacier as a "cold" glacier if it is more than a few degrees below the freezing temperature throughout most of its thickness.
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