ablation
ablation
1. Removal of snow and ice by melting and by direct alteration from the solid to the gaseous phase (sublimation). The rate of loss is controlled chiefly by air temperature, wind velocity, humidity, rainfall, and solar radiation. Ablation on snowfields is also influenced by aspect, depth of snow, and the nature of the underlying surface. Ablation till is the glacial deposit that may be released. The ablation zone of a glacier is that area in which losses, including calving, exceed additions.
2. The removal of rock material, especially by wind action.
1. Removal of snow and ice by melting and by direct alteration from the solid to the gaseous phase (sublimation). The rate of loss is controlled chiefly by air temperature, wind velocity, humidity, rainfall, and solar radiation. Ablation on snowfields is also influenced by aspect, depth of snow, and the nature of the underlying surface. Ablation till is the glacial deposit that may be released. The ablation zone of a glacier is that area in which losses, including calving, exceed additions.
2. The removal of rock material, especially by wind action.
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