Is glacier ice colder than regular ice?
No – indeed, all of the physical, thermal and electrical properties of “regular icebox ice” and glacier ice are identical: density, viscosity, heat of fusion, latent heat, heat capacity, dielectric constant, thermal conductivity, absorption, emissivity, etc. The few small differences in characteristics are solely due to grain size differences (see 3.1). NOTE: High pressure forms of ice with different properties have been produced in laboratory experiments, but none occur naturally on earth, not even at the base of the Antarctic or Greenland ice sheets. 3.1. But doesn’t glacier ice last longer in drinks!!!??? Yes – a little, but only because the ice crystals are larger. Crystals melt from the outside and large crystals expose less surface area per unit volume of ice; therefore, ice with larger crystals melts more slowly. 4. When a glacier retreats, does the ice go back up the valley? No – like water, ice flows down its surface gradient, is rarely pushed up, and never goes back up valley
