Little Pomegranate said that popular science 丨 why is the glacier called "the spring of life"?

Glacier is called "solid reservoir" and "spring of life". How is glacier formed? What is the role of glaciers?

Glacier is a form of water. The ice of the glacier is the thick and dense result of the snow on the mountain. The snow is a ball -shaped snow that completely loses crystal characteristics. This snow is the "raw material" of the glacier. The hillside depression with piles of snow is called a snow basin, which is the birthplace of the glacier.

Xiata Glacier. Zhang Zhenyuan Photo

Over time, the hardness between the snow and the tightness between each other continued to increase, forming glacier ice. Glacier Ice was originally milky white. After a long years, it turned into a crystal clear and blue crystal old glacier ice. Glacier ice slowly extends along the hillside under the action of gravity, forming glaciers. Divided by scale and form, glaciers are divided into mainland ice sheets and mountain glaciers.

One -tenth of the global land area is covered by glaciers, and three -quarter freshwater resources are stored in glaciers. As the "solid reservoir" of the earth, glaciers play an important supplement and regulation role in the runoff of the river. Glacier is closely related to human life, and its changes have a profound impact on global water resources.

On September 14, 2020, one year after the implementation of the grasslands around the Karrick glaciers, a year after the implementation of the prohibition of animal husbandry, the Gaoshan Grassland shepherd in Banfanggou Village, Tianshan Township, Yizhou District, Hami City was lush. Photo by Cai Zengle.

my country is the most important glacier assembly in the world except the Arctic and Antarctica. Many glaciers in the country can provide more than 60 billion cubic meters of freshwater resources each year.

Xinjiang is one of the important glacier distribution areas in my country. There are more than 18,000 glaciers, all of which are mountain glaciers, which are concentrated in Tianshan, Kunlun and Altai Mountain, with ice reserves of more than 20 trillion cubic meters. Glacier's melting water occupies nearly one -third of the meson flow flow. It is the most important water source protection and lifeblood of the vast oasis of the north and south of Tianshan. It is called the "spring of life".

The Kizhou Glacier Park Scenic Area in Aktao County. Its Kraz Glacier in the park is the lowest modern glacier in my country. The huge ice cave, ice seam, and ice lake under the glacier constitute a peculiar landscape. Zhai Ruzeng Photo

Glacier No. 1 is located more than 120 kilometers southwest of Urumqi. It is the closest glacier in the world. It is formed in the Third Glacier and has a history of 4.8 million years. Due to the concentration of modern glacier types, glacier landforms and sediments are very typical, and ancient glacier relics are completely clear and clear. Therefore, Glacier No. 1 has the reputation of "glaciers living fossils". It is the best place for my country to observe and study modern glaciers and ancient glaciers. Observation studies in recent years have found that No. 1 Glacier retraction has been severe. In order to protect these "solid reservoirs" in the arid area, Xinjiang has banned glacier tourism during the "Thirteenth Five -Year Plan" period.

Climate warming has reduced most of the glacial area and thickness around the world. Therefore, protecting glaciers and protecting the ecological environment is urgent.

(The Autonomous Region Science and Technology Association provides Ding Wen Jiang Lan for finishing)

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