Ice World: Gallery of Awe-Inspiring Glaciers

Upsala Glacier

Argentina Upsala Glacier ice

(Image credit: Etienne Berthier)

The ice of Argentina's Upsala Glacier appears almost neon blue.

Canadian Glacier

Small Canadian glacier tongue

(Image credit: Alex Gardner)

A small valley glacier exiting the Devon Island Ice Cap in Nunavut, Canada.

Upsala Glacier

Argentina Upsala Glacier ice

(Image credit: Etienne Berthier)

Argentina's Upsala Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park has experienced rapid retreat.

Perito Moreno Glacier

Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina

(Image credit: Etienne Berthier)

Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier is the third-largest reservoir of freshwater in the world.

Perito Moreno Elevation

Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina

(Image credit: Etienne Berthier)

The cracks and crevices of Argentina's Perito Moreno Glacier illustrate the slow movement of the ice.

Digging Into a Glacier

Digging into a Canadian glacier

(Image credit: Alex Gardner)

Researchers dig a 13-foot (4 meter) pit into the snow of the Devon Island Ice Cap in Nunavut, Canada to examine annual snow layers.

Watching a Glacier

Time-lapse camera on a glacier

(Image credit: Alex Gardner)

A time-lapse camera keeps an eye on Nunavut, Canada's Belcher Glacier. Ground observations help researchers understand how much ice is calving into the ocean.

Sverdrup Glacier

The Sverdrup Glacier in Canada

(Image credit: Alex Gardner)

An aerial view of Nunavut, Canada's Sverdrup Glacier, which flows from the Devon Island Ice Cap to the ocean.

Alaska Meltwater

Alaska glacier meltwater

(Image credit: W. Tad Pfeffer)

Meltwater ponded at the Columbia Glacier in Alaska, as seen in July 2008.

Columbia Glacier

Columbia glacier in Alaska

(Image credit: W. Tad Pfeffer)

Crevasses in the accumulation zone of the Columbia Glacier in Alaska. The accumulation zone is the area of the glacier where snow accumulates and packs into ice.

Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.