Névé is a young, granular type of

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...

which has been partially melted, refrozen and compacted, yet precedes the form of ice. This type of snow is associated with

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

formation through the process of ''

nivation Nivation is the set of geomorphic processes associated with snow patches. The primary processes are mass wasting and the freeze and thaw cycle, in which fallen snow gets compacted into firn or névé. The importance of the processes covered by ...

''. Névé that survives a full season of

ablation Ablation ( la, ablatio – removal) is removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosive processes or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, and include spacecraft material for ...

turns into firn, which is both older and slightly denser. Firn eventually becomes glacial ice – the long-lived, compacted ice that glaciers are composed of. Glacier formation can take days to years depending on freeze-thaw factors. Névé is annually observed in

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

slopes, and is generally disliked as an icy falling zone. Névé has a minimum

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematicall ...

of 500 kg/m³, which is roughly half of the density of liquid water at 1 atm. Névé can also refer to the

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

region in which snowfall accumulates, becomes névé, and feeds a glacier.

Notes

External links

* {{Glaciology-stub it:Formazioni nevose perenni#Nevaio

See also

Notes

External links