Theory 39/Centuries/Glaciers
Glacier Response Is Thickness Against Balance
The claim
A glacier's response time to climate is set by the ratio of ice thickness to the rate of mass balance change, so thick glaciers respond over centuries while thin ones respond in decades.
01Mechanism
The terminus adjusts as mass balance propagates through the ice; the ratio sets how long that takes.
02Prediction
Response time should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Response tracking temperature change would remove thickness.