Lesson 2A.4

2A.4 Glacial mass balance Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Geography, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 2A.4, Glacial mass balance: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Geography (9GE0), Unit 2: Topic 2A: Glaciated Landscapes and Change, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What is the term for the difference between glacial accumulation and ablation?

    • Equilibrium line
    • Net ablation
    • Ice velocity
    • Mass balance

  2. Which process adds mass directly to a glacier system?

    • Sublimation
    • Calving
    • Basal melting
    • Direct snowfall

  3. Which process removes mass from a glacier terminus into sea or lake?

    • Regelation
    • Direct snowfall
    • Calving
    • Wind deposition

  4. A glacier reaches equilibrium when accumulation equals which process?

    • Ablation
    • Basal slip
    • Internal deformation
    • Plucking

  5. If accumulation is 1.2 m and ablation is 1.5 m, what is the net mass balance?

    • -0.3 m
    • +0.3 m
    • +2.7 m
    • -2.7 m

  6. In the Greenland Ice Sheet, ice melt lowers surface albedo, leading to what?

    • Decreased melting
    • Increased melting
    • Glacier advance
    • Increased accumulation

  7. Which type of feedback loop acts to counter change and restore equilibrium in a glacier?

    • Negative feedback
    • Positive feedback
    • Thermal feedback
    • Dynamic equilibrium

  8. Rates of glacial accumulation and ablation vary primarily due to changes in what?

    • Climate and weather
    • Earth's magnetic field
    • Bedrock lithology
    • Tectonic plate velocity

  9. What intermediate compacted snow stage forms in the accumulation zone before becoming glacier ice?

    • Till
    • Firn
    • Moraine
    • Outwash

  10. What name is given to the boundary where glacial accumulation equals ablation?

    • Bergschrund
    • Equilibrium line
    • Terminus
    • Trimline

  11. Which feedback mechanism accelerates ice loss on the Greenland Ice Sheet as reflectivity decreases?

    • Melt-albedo feedback
    • Regelation feedback
    • Basal slip feedback
    • Isostatic rebound

  12. What term describes ice converting directly into water vapour without becoming liquid water?

    • Calving
    • Evaporation
    • Sublimation
    • Melting

  13. Which condition causes the greatest increase in summer glacial ablation rates?

    • High air temperature
    • Increased snowfall
    • Lower solar radiation
    • High surface albedo

  14. Why is the rate of ablation usually highest near a glacier's terminus?

    • Increased snowfall
    • Higher altitude
    • Lower elevation
    • Thick cloud cover

  15. An upward shift in a glacier's equilibrium line indicates which overall trend?

    • Net mass loss
    • Zero mass balance
    • Net mass gain
    • Glacier advance

  16. What term describes the long-term balance between glacial accumulation and ablation?

    • Dynamic equilibrium
    • Thermal regime
    • Basal creep
    • Mass balance

  17. Which of these processes is classed as an input to a glacier mass balance system?

    • Avalanching
    • Calving
    • Sublimation
    • Evaporation

  18. How does extra high-elevation snowfall act as negative feedback in the Greenland Ice Sheet?

    • Offsets melt loss
    • Thins basal ice
    • Speeds up calving
    • Increases surface melt

  19. What process causes a glacier terminus to retreat while accumulation rates remain unchanged?

    • Increased ablation
    • Decreased basal slip
    • Increased deposition
    • Decreased sublimation

  20. Which two main processes govern the total mass balance of a glacier system?

    • Erosion and deposition
    • Plucking and abrasion
    • Accumulation and ablation
    • Freeze and thaw

All Pearson Edexcel Geography quizzes