ClimateAugust 16, 2026
deglaciation
dee-GLAY-shee-AY-shun
Definition
The process by which an area or region becomes free of glaciers or ice cover.
Etymology
Derived from the prefix 'de-' meaning 'removal' or 'reversal,' combined with the Latin 'glacies' for 'ice,' reflecting the transition of an area from glaciated to ice-free.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe the potential future state of the Byrd glacier catchment, noting that the complete loss of its ice would occur over a period of centuries to millennia.
We tend to picture glaciers as slow rivers of frozen water, but the Byrd Glacier in Antarctica drains an area larger than California through a gap in the Transantarctic Mountains at up to 800 metres a year, dragging enough ice to raise global sea level measurabl
Read the full article ↗Space Daily