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latent heat

(Encyclopedia)latent heat, heat change associated with a change of state or phase (see states of matter). Latent heat, also called heat of transformation, is the heat given up or absorbed by a unit mass of a substa...

Nansen, Fridtjof

(Encyclopedia)Nansen, Fridtjof frĭtˈyôf nänˈsən [key], 1861–1930, Norwegian arctic explorer, scientist, statesman, and humanitarian. The diversity of Nansen's interests is shown in his writings, which inclu...

drumlin

(Encyclopedia)drumlin drŭmˈlĭn [key], smooth oval hill of glacial drift, elongated in the direction of the movement of the ice that deposited it. Drumlins, which may be more than 150 ft (45 m) high and more than...

crevasse

(Encyclopedia)crevasse krəvăsˈ [key], large crack in the upper surface of a glacier, formed by tension acting upon the brittle ice. Transverse crevasses occur where the grade of the glacier bed becomes suddenly ...

Issyk-Kol

(Encyclopedia)Issyk-Kol or Ysyk Köl both: ēsĭkˈ-ko͞ol [key], lake, E Kyrgyzstan, in the Alatau Mts. At an altitude of c.5,300 ft (1,620 m) and with an area of c.2,400 sq mi (6,220 sq km), it is one of the larg...

Innuitians

(Encyclopedia)Innuitians ĭnyo͞oĭshˈənz [key], mountain range, stretching c.800 mi (1,290 km) through the Arctic Archipelago, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, N Canada. Largely unexplored, the range runs NE f...

igloo

(Encyclopedia)igloo ĭgˈlo͞o [key] [Inuit,=house]. The Eskimos traditionally had three types of houses. A summer house, which was basically a tent, a winter house, which was usually partially dug into the ground ...

frostweed

(Encyclopedia)frostweed or frostwort, North American woodland flowers (Helianthemum canadense and sometimes other related species) of the family Cistaceae (rockrose family). In cold weather, crystals of ice shoot f...

Fury and Hecla Strait

(Encyclopedia)Fury and Hecla Strait hĕkˈlə [key], narrow channel, c.100 mi (160 km) long and from 10 to 15 mi (16–24 km) wide, N Canada, between Baffin Island and Melville Peninsula. It connects Foxe Basin wit...

New Zealand spinach

(Encyclopedia)New Zealand spinach, succulent annual (Tetragonia expansa) of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and S South America, grown for the edible leaves. The plant grows prostrate, often spreading to cover sever...