ichele Koppes’s kayak moves


next to a glacier. A chunk of ice falls. It hits the water near her. Koppes keeps paddling. She studies glaciers. She knows how dangerous glaciers can be. Glaciers are huge rivers of ice. T ey


are made from layers of snow. T e layers press together. Over time, the snow turns into thick ice. Glaciers flow like slow rivers. T e


weight of ice forces glaciers to slide forward. T ey move very slowly, but not quietly. T e ice cracks and rumbles. Bang! Koppes knows that sound. It is the sound of moving ice.


Ice and More Ice Glaciers cover ten percent of Earth’s land. Glaciers are on every continent except Australia. Some glaciers are sheets of ice. For


example, sheets of ice cover almost all of Greenland and Antarctica. Others are mountain glaciers. T ey


flow down tall peaks and can stretch for kilometers. Tyndall Glacier in Chile is a mountain glacier. Koppes and her team are standing at its end, or terminus. Here the glacier flows into a lake. Huge chunks of ice break off into the water.


18 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


Michele Koppes lowers herself into an ice cave in a glacier.


Getting Ready Koppes and her team are studying how this glacier is changing. T ey plan to climb up the glacier. T ey will collect data on the way. Koppes has packed a lot of safety


gear and tools to do the job. She zips up her coat. She puts on sunglasses. She slips into her climbing harness. She grabs a rope and an axe. She is ready. T e team starts to climb.


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