What is a glaciers thermal regime and what is its mass balance?
A glacier’s thermal regime is either cold based or warm based. If the base of the glacier is at a temperature above the pressure melting point of water, meltwater will be present under the base and the glacier will be able to move by basal slip as well as by internal deformation — a warm based regime. In a cold based regime, the ice at the base of the glacier is below the pressure melting point, remains frozen, and basal slip is less likely to occur. Which regime exists doesn’t have much to do with the general air temperature around the glacier, but is more dependent on the thickness of the ice — thicker ice = more pressure on base = melting point is lowered (hence why it is the pressure melting point not the normal 0 degree melting point) so that even below 0 degrees it is possible for meltwater to form. The mass balance is the difference between accumulation of mass(snowfall) and loss of it (melting, evaporation, calving). eg. if snow accumulation is more than melting (which happe
