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Glacier Definition

A glacier is a huge chunk of frozen fresh water found in a very cold place. For example, glaciers in Antarctica.

View Lesson on Oceans, Lakes and Rivers
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Oceans, Lakes and Rivers

LESSON MATERIALSmove

Fun Facts

  • If a glacier is heated up it will melt.
  • Glaciers are formed from lots of snow and ice that becomes hard over time.
  • Almost three quarters of all the fresh water on the earth is frozen in glaciers.

Why Do We Need To Know About Glacier

Learning about glaciers helps us understand where a lot of the world’s fresh water comes from. Glaciers are big chunks of ice that store a lot of fresh water. This water is essential for farming, drinking, and taking care of the environment. When glaciers melt, the water goes into lakes and underground, which helps grow our food and gives more than half of the people in the country clean water to drink.

This information is really important not just for scientists who study climate change, but also for people who make decisions about how to use and protect water. Knowing how glaciers work and affect our water supply can help these people make better plans to use water wisely and fight the negative effects of global warming.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is salt water?
Salt water is all the water found in the oceans. It has salt in it.

What is fresh water?
Fresh water is all the other types of water found on Earth that is not salt water. Fresh water is found in lakes, rivers, glaciers and underground.
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is fresh water found beneath the Earth’s surface. Groundwater can be found in the cracks and spaces between soil, sand and rocks.
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