snow line

Home > ... > Earth and the Environment > Geology and Oceanography > Geology and Oceanography > ...

Essential
reading

Compare
side-by-side

A Dictionary of Ecology

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences

The Columbia Encyclopedia, ...

snow line

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

snow line altitude above which or latitude beyond which snow does not melt in summer (usually called the permanent snow line), or, in winter, the line to which snow extends at a given point in time. Factors affecting the location of the snow line are the quantity of snowfall, the steepness of the slope on which snow rests, the exposure of an area to the sun and prevailing winds, the type and velocity of the winds, and the presence or absence of large bodies of water. The level of the snow line is much lower in winter than in summer. It is also affected by distance from the equator, along which it is found at an altitude of c.3 mi (5 km); in polar regions it is at sea level.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-snowline" title="Facts and informations about snow line">snow line</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"snow line." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"snow line." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (July 9, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-snowline.html

"snow line." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved July 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-snowline.html

Learn more about citation styles

snow line

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | | © A Dictionary of Earth Sciences 1999, originally published by Oxford University Press 1999. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

snow line The lower limit of permanent snow cover. The height of the line varies with latitude; locally it also varies with aspect, because of the relationship to prevailing winds and quantity of snow deposited, and to summer temperatures, etc.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O13-snowline" title="Facts and informations about snow line">snow line</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "snow line." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "snow line." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (July 9, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-snowline.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "snow line." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved July 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-snowline.html

Learn more about citation styles

snow line

A Dictionary of Ecology | 2004 | | © A Dictionary of Ecology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

snow line The lower limit of permanent snow cover. The height of the line varies with latitude; locally it also varies with aspect, because of the relationship to prevailing winds and the quantity of snow deposited, and to summer temperatures, etc. See also firn line.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O14-snowline" title="Facts and informations about snow line">snow line</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "snow line." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "snow line." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (July 9, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-snowline.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "snow line." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved July 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-snowline.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article I Love Snow.(Lines That RHYME)(Poem)
Magazine article from: Children's Playmate; 11/1/2004
Free Article Snow business: weather the slow season by keeping busy.(Firing Line)
Magazine article from: Prosales; 12/1/2005
Free Article Stormy weather soaks county again.(Weather)(Heavy rain, snow and wind swell rivers, cut power lines, flood roads and cause landslides on a soggy day)
Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 1/11/2006

Facts and information from other sites

Related topics

  Edit this list

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

I Love Snow.(Lines That RHYME)(Poem)
Magazine article from: Children's Playmate; 11/1/2004; ; 67 words ; I LOVE SNOW I love snow. I love winter. I love hot cocoa. love snowball fights. I love snow. I love to play in the snow. I wish it could snow forever. But it can't-- And it is sad, Jordan Kauffman Iowa...yourself. Can you draw a picture to go with it? Send them to: Line That Rhyme ... Read more
Snow business: weather the slow season by keeping busy.(Firing Line)
Magazine article from: Prosales; 12/1/2005; ; 571 words ; ...another rolled over the area. Ice Melt and snow shovel sales were strong, but that was...been on pace to set records. Until the snow came, our only concern was keeping product...efforts by pulling the trucks out of the snow and under the shed to give them detail... Read more
Stormy weather soaks county again.(Weather)(Heavy rain, snow and wind swell rivers, cut power lines, flood roads and cause landslides on a soggy day)
Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 1/11/2006; 673 words ; ...Department of Transportation's information line for road conditions was listed incorrectly...swollen rivers and predictions of heavy snow in the Cascades kept motorists and road...high winds knocked a tree into a power line behind the building. Students were sent...Service's predictions for the next few ... Read more
Toro Power Max snowthrower line.(Snow Removal Products)
Magazine article from: Outdoor Power Equipment; 8/1/2003; 178 words ; ...video game. At the heart of the new line is the Power Max Auger System, which...non-stick surface designed to minimize snow build-up. Unlike traditional 2-stage...through dealers in the fall 2003.The line consists of 5 models, ranging from... Read more
Festival a howler; Snow, wind keep venue lines short.(NEWS)
Newspaper article from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA); 1/1/2009; 700+ words ; ...First Night. First there was the heavy snow which finally tapered off in the early...afternoon were crowded in spite of the snow.) The fireworks had to be canceled, however...have tons of layers on, she said. I hate snow but I think this is really nice. So, while... Read more
Snow players line up to gear up.(General News)(The annual sale raises funds for volunteer ski patrols)
Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 10/30/2004; 499 words ; ...signal winter is coming on: daylight saving time ends, and the line forms outside the Wheeler Pavilion for the ski patrols' 35th...people are having a lot of fun with plain old inner tubes on the snow, too, he adds. The thing I like in our area is there are a lot...chats with Harla Torres, a Springfield ... Read more
The hunters in the snow. (poem)(Outside the Lines: New Dutch and Flemish Writing)
Magazine article from: The Literary Review; 3/22/1997; ; 77 words ; Returning overnight. Heads down hunters walk, hounds toward the view. On their shoulders the infinite hammock of the light. Hardly caught a fox--only those who observe can see. Only those who truly have eyes understand. For only when looking away do they bare the mask of regret. The place they were Read more
Recreation runs deep in High Cascades snow.(Discovery)
Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 5/14/2009; 700+ words ; ...and snowboarders in Oregon this past season. The 2008-2009 snow season was a blessing to snow-sports enthusiasts who delighted in the downpour of winter...passes. Mount Bachelor near Bend also received a hefty dose of snow. Snow lovers can only anticipate what next year will bring. Until...summer ... Read more
Mount Snow is special.(SPORTS)
Newspaper article from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA); 1/16/2009; 700+ words ; ...views at Stratton The day before, I was at Stratton, Mount Snow's taller southern Vermont cousin, about 20 miles north. In the wake of the big Sunday dump, Stratton glistened in soft-snow majesty amid brilliant sunshine. The biggest resort in the...college students were there to take advantage of the great ... Read more
'The bones don't lie': forensic anthropologist Clyde Snow travels continents to bring the crimes of mass murderers to light.(Secrets From The Grave)(Cover Story)
Magazine article from: National Catholic Reporter; 7/30/2004; ; 700+ words ; Clyde Snow is a forensic anthropologist. But it makes more sense to call...sensational but no less tragic killings across the country. Clyde Snow knows the human skeleton, whether battered or scattered, perhaps...continent, sometimes arriving 10 or 20 years after the fact. For Snow, there is no ideology to ... Read more

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including: