Glacier Power: How are Glaciers Strange?

 

Credit: istockphoto mokattan

The NASA Earthdata page explores the unusual phenomena and forces associated with glaciers. Glaciers are portrayed as dynamic, almost living entities that produce distinctive sounds and host unique life forms. Ice sizzles resemble the crackling of cereal or soda, while ice quakes signal crevasse formation with hissing or cracking noises. Moulins, deep holes in glaciers, roar as water flows through them. Beyond sound, glaciers sustain tiny creatures like glacier fleas and ice worms, which thrive in cold environments by feeding on algae and pollen. Fossils can remain trapped in ice for millennia, preserving ancient history. The page also highlights glacier surges, such as the Hubbard Glacier in 1986, where ice movement blocked fjords and created lakes. These surges can accelerate glacier flow dramatically, sometimes ending in catastrophic jokulhlaups—sudden floods from stored subglacial water. Together, these phenomena reveal glaciers’ immense power, strangeness, and ecological importance

Read more: Glacier Power: How are Glaciers Strange? | NASA Earthdata