science

Glacier growing

Glacier growing is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Glacier growing rather than just read about it. In short: Glacier growing, artificial glaciation or glacier grafting, is a practice carried out in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya regions aimed at creating small new glaciers to increase water supply for crops and in some cases to sustain micro hydro power. In order to encourage the growth of a glacier, local farmers acquire ice from naturally occurring glaciers, and carry it to high altitude areas where the ice is put inside a…

Key takeaways

Glacier growing belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Glacier growing to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Glacier growing from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Glacier growing, artificial glaciation or glacier grafting, is a practice carried out in the Hindu Kush and Himalaya regions aimed at creating small new glaciers to increase water supply for crops and in some cases to sustain micro hydro power. In order to encourage the growth of a glacier, local farmers acquire ice from naturally occurring glaciers, and carry it to high altitude areas where the ice is put inside a small cave dug out in a scree-slope. Along with the ice other ingredients such as water, salt, sawdust, wheat husks and charcoal are also placed at the site. The use of glacier grafting is an old skill of the mountain farmers of Baltistan and Gilgit, where it is used for irrigation purposes since at least the 19th century. This technique was described by Lieutenant David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer (1876–1962) in the 1920s. Allegedly glacier grafting also has been used to block mountain passes.

Background

In the high Himalaya water is the limiting factor for agriculture and many farmers experience scarcity of water in late autumn - a period critical to the maturation of crops. Farmers living in watersheds without glaciers are especially vulnerable since they largely depend on snow melt for irrigation, in contrast to other areas where glaciers are a reliable source of water. In such communities glacier grafting is often attempted as a means to encourage the growth of new glaciers and thus ensure the existence of water resources.

Procedures

The first step involves looking for a location suitable to glacier growing. The preferred terrain, according to glacier growers in Baltistan and Gilgit, is in shadowed scree-slopes overlooked by steep headwalls. Commonly the sites are located between 4,000 and 5,000 metres above sea level. Such locations are susceptible to snowfall and avalanches during winter and spring, creating an environment conducive to the accumulation of ice. Ice is transported in baskets of woven willow twigs by teams of two and two, who take turns to carry the baskets. This usually involves ascents from lower lying valleys (around 2,000-3,000 metres above sea level) up to the site selected for the glacier growing. Similar efforts are being carried out by the noted engineer Chewang Norphel, in the adjacent Ladakh region. The ice stupa, a vertical, conical variation of glacier growing that is more viable at lower altitudes, was later developed in the Ladakh region by engineer Sonam Wangchuk.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Glacier growing

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Glacier growing claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Glacier growing before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Glacier growing ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Glacier growing

In research: Glacier growing appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Glacier growing in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Glacier growing is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Culture of Pakistan, Glaciology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Glacier growing outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Glacier growing” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Glacier growing in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Glacier growing means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Glacier growing out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Glacier growing in simple terms?

Why does Glacier growing matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Glacier growing?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Glacier growing.