What is the Four Seasons Glacier? What is a glacier? Characteristics and distribution position of various climates in the field.

Glacier: refers to the natural ice body that evolved from atmospheric solid precipitation on land. It is usually in motion and can flow on its own. It changes with climate change, but it will not form or die in a short time. The contact of the snow line with the ground is a necessary condition for the occurrence of glaciers, so glaciers are the product of polar climate and alpine ice and snow climate.

See Quaternary: geological year representative and brief table of crustal development history, as shown in the figure.

Characteristics and distribution of various climates in the field;

Low latitude climate: controlled by equatorial air mass and tropical air mass, the annual temperature is relatively high, and the highest temperature in Leng Yue is above 15~ 18oC. The main circulation systems affecting climate are intertropical convergence zone, trade winds, equatorial westerly winds, tropical cyclones and subtropical high. ① equatorial rain belt, which appears between 5~ 10o in the north and south latitudes on both sides of the equator, is controlled by equatorial trough all the year round, and equatorial air masses prevail. The climate is characterized by a long summer with no seasonal changes, with an average annual temperature of about 26o, annual precipitation mostly exceeding 2,000 mm, and even distribution during the year, with the minimum monthly precipitation exceeding 60 mm. It is suitable for developing tropical rain forests and rich in plant resources. (2) Tropical maritime climate, which appears on the east coast of the mainland and the islands in the tropical ocean in the trade wind belt with latitude 10~25o, is controlled by the tropical marine air mass and influenced by the trade wind all the year round. The annual temperature is high, the lowest monthly average temperature is below 25℃, and the rainy climate in the whole year is slightly larger than that in the equatorial region. There is more precipitation in the whole year, which is relatively concentrated in summer and autumn, but there is no obvious dry season; (3) Tropical dry and wet seasons, which appear in the periphery of the equatorial rainy climate zone. Mainly distributed in Central and South America and Africa at latitude 5~ 15o. Due to the north-south movement of the equatorial low pressure belt, there are dry and wet seasons in a year; (4) Tropical monsoon climate, appearing on the east coast of the mainland from north latitude 10o to the Tropic of Cancer. The circulation is characterized by developed tropical monsoon and frequent tropical cyclone activities. There is plenty of water vapor in this area and strong updraft in intertropical convergence zone, which is easy to form tropical cyclones under the action of geostrophic deflection. The annual temperature is relatively high, with the annual average temperature exceeding 20oC, and the average temperature in Leng Yue is generally above 18oC. The annual precipitation is above 1500~2000mm, concentrated in summer, with distinct wet and dry seasons, and the natural vegetation is tropical monsoon forest. ⑤ Tropical arid and semi-arid climate, which appears in subtropical high pressure zone and trade wind zone between continental center and west coast latitude 15~25o, can be divided into three climate subtypes due to the difference of drought degree and climate characteristics. A tropical arid climate type, controlled by subtropical high all the year round or located on the leeward bank of trade winds, with less precipitation (less than 125mm) from coastal cold ocean currents, high variability, high temperature, large annual and daily temperature difference, less cloud cover, strong sunshine, strong evaporation and low relative humidity; B The tropical west coast is a foggy and arid climate type, which is distributed on the west coast of the tropical continent. Affected by the coastal California cold current, Peru cold current, Canary cold current and Benguela cold current, the gas layer is stable and precipitation is scarce. The foggy desert can be extended to the coastal areas, and the annual temperature is small, and the temperature in Leng Yue is lower than 20℃. ; C tropical semi-arid climate type, distributed at the outer edge of tropical arid area, is a transitional type between arid climate and humid climate. The rainy season is short, which occurs in the season with large solar altitude angle, and the annual precipitation is 250 ~ 750 mm

Mid-latitude climate: it is the zone where tropical air mass and polar air mass act. The average temperature in Leng Yue is lower than 15~ 18oC, with four distinct seasons. The main circulation systems affecting climate are polar front, prevailing westerly wind, extratropical cyclone and anticyclone, subtropical high and tropical cyclone. The non-periodic change of weather and the seasonal change of precipitation are significant. The mid-latitude zone is vast, the climate forming factors are complex and the climate types are diverse. ① The subtropical arid and semi-arid climate on the mainland and the west coast between 25 and 35 degrees north and south latitude is formed by the downward flow of subtropical high and the back shore wind of trade winds, and it can be divided into two types due to different drought degrees. Subtropical arid climate is the continuation of tropical arid climate to high latitude. Because of its high latitude, compared with the tropical arid climate, the temperature in cool season is lower and there is cyclone rain; B Subtropical and semi-arid climate, distributed in the outer edge of subtropical arid area, with slightly lower temperature in summer and more precipitation in winter, which can maintain the growth of grass. (2) subtropical monsoon climate, which appears on the east coast of subtropical continent with latitude of 25 ~ 35, is an alternate control area of tropical marine air mass and polar continental air mass. It is hot in summer and warm in winter, with four distinct seasons and developed monsoon. The average temperature of the hottest month is generally higher than 22℃, and the hottest Leng Yue temperature is between 0 ~ 15℃. The annual precipitation is above 750~ 1000mm, and the summer half-year precipitation usually accounts for 70% of the whole year, which is suitable for the growth of evergreen broad-leaved forest, and the natural landscape is subtropical monsoon forest. (3) Subtropical humid climate, the climate characteristics are similar to that of subtropical monsoon, but the temperature difference between winter and summer is smaller than that of subtropical monsoon, and the annual distribution of precipitation is more uniform than that of the latter. There are frequent extratropical cyclones in winter, and winter rain can account for 40% of the total annual precipitation, and the natural landscape is similar to the latter. ④ There is a subtropical summer dry climate (Mediterranean climate) on the west coast of the mainland between 30~40o. In summer, affected by the subtropical high center or its eastern edge, the airflow sinks, which is not conducive to the formation of clouds and rain. The weather is very hot and dry. In winter, the subtropical high moves southward, controlled by the westerly belt, with frequent climate activities and warm and rainy weather. ⑤ Temperate maritime climate, appearing on the west coast of temperate continent with latitude of 40 ~ 60. The westerly winds prevail all year round, controlled by the ocean air mass, which is warm in winter and cool in summer, and the temperature in annual range is small. Cyclone activity is frequent, it is humid all the year round, and there is relatively more rain in winter. The annual precipitation is 700~ 1000mm, and it can reach more than 2000 mm in windward mountainous areas. ⑥ The temperate monsoon climate is mainly distributed on the east coast of the Eurasian continent at 35° ~ 35° ~ 55° on. In winter, the direction of Xia Feng is significantly different, the seasonal changes are obvious, and the weather changes aperiodically. In winter, affected by temperate continental air mass, it is cold and dry, and the temperature difference between north and south is large. Summer is controlled by temperate ocean air mass or deformed tropical ocean air mass, which is warm and rainy with small temperature difference between north and south. ⑦ The temperate continental humid climate is mainly distributed in the east of temperate maritime climate in Eurasia and 40 ~ 60 east of North America 100oW. Temperature, precipitation and temperate monsoon climate are similar, but the seasonal changes of wind direction and wind force are not obvious. It's not too cold in winter, but it rains a little more in winter; There is convective rain in summer, but it is not very concentrated. ⑧ temperate arid and semi-arid climate, mainly distributed in the center of Asia and North America, Patagonia on the Atlantic coast of Argentina in South America. This climate can be divided into: temperate arid climate, with annual precipitation below 250mm, extremely poor plant species and diverse natural landscapes; B temperate semi-arid climate, annual precipitation is about 250~500mm, vegetation is short grass grassland, which is mainly caused by high mountains in the central part of the mainland or along the coast, and is controlled by continental air masses all the year round.

High latitude climate: distributed near the polar circle, mainly polar air mass and glacial air mass. Low temperature and no summer is the most remarkable feature of this climate zone. Although there is little precipitation, there are large swamps because of weak evaporation, frozen soil development and poor drainage. ① Sub-polar continental climate, which mainly occurs in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, ranges from 50oN (or 55on) to 65on, showing continuous zonal distribution. As the source of the polar continental air mass, it is influenced and controlled by the polar ocean air mass and the polar continental air mass all the year round. The winter is long and cold, at least 9 months, with little annual precipitation, concentrated in summer. The vegetation is coniferous forest, and swamps are widely distributed. ② Polar long cold climate (tundra climate), with weak evaporation and foggy coastal zone in winter all year round. Vegetation is composed of moss, lichen and small shrubs, which constitute the tundra landscape; (3) The polar ice sheet climate, which appears in Greenland, the frozen plateau of the Antarctic continent and several islands near the North Pole of the Arctic Ocean, is the source of the ice ocean air mass and the Antarctic air mass. It is extremely cold all year round, and the annual precipitation is less than 250mm, which does not melt even in extreme sunlight, and forms an ice sheet after long-term accumulation.

Plateau climate: It appears in the continental alpine plateau region between 55 os and 70 on, and is widely distributed in the mid-latitude region of the northern hemisphere, mainly in the Andes in the southern hemisphere. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, various climatic factors change regularly, showing obvious vertical climatic zonation.

The above knowledge comes from Physical Geography edited by Wu Guanghe. I hope it will help.