= Glaciology
{wiki}
<Glaciology> studies glaciers, ice sheets and related snow and ice through their mass balance, deformation and interaction with the environment. A glacier gains material through <ice accumulation> and loses it through <ice ablation>; its motion also transfers material between locations. Changes in surface height therefore combine local mass balance with flow convergence or divergence.
Velocity measurements, thickness profiles and repeated surface surveys constrain that budget. <Basal sliding> and internal deformation can produce similar surface motion with different stress and water conditions at the bed. Combining these observations is necessary to infer how an ice mass responds to changing atmospheric or oceanic forcing.
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