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asteroid:
a large body of rock, smaller than a planet, that is orbiting the sun
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blue ice: ice
that is very old and compacted
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catabatic:
type of winds found in Antarctica; continually flow "northward,"
sinking from the high-altitude polar plateau outward toward the coasts
(sometimes spelled "katabatic")
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CFC:
chlorofluorocarbon, an industrial chemical that can cause ozone depletion;
slowly being phased out
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crevasses:
deep cracks in the ice caused when the ice shifts or moves unevenly; can
become hidden by surface snow
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ecosystem:
the community of living and non-living things that interact to form a stable
natural system
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exobiology:
the study of life forms similar to those that could exist on other planets
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glacier: a
body of ice that flows in a manner based on the shape of the land below it;
usually contained within valley walls
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ice sheet:
a body of ice that submerges almost all of the landscape and moves
independently of the characteristics of the ground. Ice sheets exist in only
two places in the world: Antarctica and Greenland.
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ice shelf:
a large body of ice that is anchored to a coastline, but whose main body
floats on the ocean
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iceberg:
a piece of floating ice that has broken off, or "calved," from a
glacier or ice sheet
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meteor:
a rock from space that is entering the earth’s atmosphere, and is glowing
from the resulting friction
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meteorite:
a rock from space that has survived the entry into earth’s atmosphere and
has actually landed on the earth
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meteoroid:
a rock that is orbiting the sun and is smaller than an asteroid
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nunatak:
the tip of a mountain that is showing above snow or ice while the rest of
the mountain is buried
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pack ice:
seasonal ice that forms in the fall on the Southern Ocean surrounding
Antarctica and breaks up in the spring
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sastrugi:
hard ripples in the snow or ice that are caused by winds
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sledge: a
large sled used to carry supplies on expeditions over snow and ice
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sun-cup:
cylinder of clear ice caused by a rock being warmed by the sun and melting
into the ice below it over a period of years
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whiteout:
a condition in which overcast sky meets the horizon, eliminating all sense
of position and perspective