The cryosphere and glacial permafrost as its integral component

Abstract

Since Earth sciences have undertaken studies of other celestial bodies, its various fields have moved beyond the scope of study assigned to them by name. Interest in space makes it necessary to abandon research geocentrism and reverse relations when comparing the structure of the Earth with other celestial bodies. As an exceptional place in the universe, it should not be the Earth which constitutes a reference point, especially in cryospheric research, but rather the other celestial bodies of our planetary system. This approach, referred to as "Spatial Uniformitarianism," is the basis for determining the place of ice in the environment and for assigning it to the lithosphere. Ice can be penetrated by frost just as other minerals and rocks, so the occurrence of permafrost may yet be attributed to glaciers and ice-caps. In the article, the occurrence of glacial permafrost has been worked out on the basis of a thermal classification of glaciers with a thorough understanding of the phenomenon. This allows us to specify permafrost's presence beneath glaciers and ice-caps, a concept which had been needlessly vague. Further, by considering rock glaciers as a mixture of two types of rocks, and by understanding the importance of movement in their evolution, we are now closer to fruitfully determining their role in the environment, their geomorphological significance. Keywords

Estimación de la temperatura basal del “Glaciar Norte” del volcán Citlaltépetl, México. Modelo para determinar la presencia de permafrost subglaciar

“…A este respecto, Dyke (1993) encontró una temperatura de 3°C por debajo de 1100 m de hielo glaciar. Sin embargo, tal como lo señala Dobiński (2012), las condiciones de temperatura en glaciares no profundos, propician la presencia de permafrost en su base. Esto es enfatizado por los señalamientos de Gow et al, (1979), Koerner y Fisher (1979) y Gemmell et al, (1986), quienes confirman que los pequeños glaciares de latitudes altas y los de alta montaña poseen un basamento congelado por los efectos de temperaturas negativas en su parte inferior; todos estos con un espesor medio de decenas de metros.…”

Cryosphere and Spatial Uniformitarianism: A New Rule for Earth and Planetary Sciences

“…1.). Ice unique characteristics compared to other types of rock is in fact apparent when we apply the same geological criteria to it, as it shows very specific properties, for example, its melting point is very low, as that of mercury, and it floats on water like pumice [5,6,13]. Indeed, the term iceberg (ice-mountain) to refer to floating glacial ice fragments is correct in the literal sense, as they represent floating parts of the icy-lithosphere ( On the other hand, many earth-scientists still consider ice as a component of the hydrosphere, identifying ice as a synonym of water in general.…”

“…Copernicus published his De revolutionibus orbium coelestium: libri VI in 1543, nearly 475 years ago, yet the geocentric perception of the universe somewhat remains even at the highest scientific level. A clear example is the use of sunset or sunrise, reasonable terms as common language, but similar way of thinking is used in space and planetary science and further reflecting the overarching dominance of geocentric approaches and perceptions [5]. This is particularly important for those studies where Earth is used as analogue for other planetary processes.…”

“…However, it remains an open question whether the analogy can be reversed, and whether planetary processes can be used as analogue processes for Earth. Strong tendencies to consider Earth as the guide planet would be main limiting factor to this approach [5].…”

Probes for the study of icy and subglacial environment of planets

“…1), учитывая тот факт, что поверхностные структуры семи из де вяти открытых человеком планет, их спутников, а также комет представляют собой криогенные среды . Как полагают специалисты, подобные ус ловия существуют в подледниковых океанах спут ников Юпитера (Ганимед, Каллисто и Европа) и Сатурна (Диона и Энцелад), на полюсах Марса, где концентрация воды в приповерхностном слое на полюсах достигает 90% [7][8][9][10] . Жизнеспособ ные клетки и продукты их жизнедеятельности, об наруживаемые в криосфере Земли, представляют собой возможный аналог внеземных экосистем .…”