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What exactly is meant by the terms "wet" or "dry" glacier? This link here seems to point to the existence or absence of a film of melt-water below the glacier. This has an impact on how the glacie...
#2: Attribution notice added
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System
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2020-04-17T18:49:18Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/21771 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#1: Initial revision
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fgysin reinstate Monica
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2020-04-17T18:49:17Z (over 4 years ago)
<p>What exactly is meant by the terms "wet" or "dry" glacier?</p> <p>This <a href="https://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/geol100/lectures/35.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">link here</a> seems to point to the existence or absence of a film of melt-water below the glacier. This has an impact on how the glacier moves, but it is rarely of direct concern for mountaineers.</p> <p>However, the question and at least one of the answers <a href="https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/21686/how-much-experience-is-needed-for-crossing-the-mendenhall-glacier">here</a> seem to suggest that wet and dry are somehow related to the glacier being snow covered. This would make the terms very directly a concern for mountaineers trying to cross a glacier.</p> <p>Which is true?</p>