A map can answer a scientific question before a spreadsheet explains it. This project turns glacier location and elevation data into a visual tour of where the world's largest glaciers sit—and the patterns their distribution brings into focus.
Where are the largest glaciers, and at what elevation do they live? I used mapping and GIF-generation tools to make both questions visible, bringing the geographic pattern out of the table and onto the map.
Basemap (Mapping Library), imageio (GIF creator library), Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn, Photoshop, Itertools, Libgeo
Solo Project
Five Days
It is tempting to call Antarctica the world's largest glacier. It is not: Antarctica is an ice sheet, as is Greenland. So what separates a glacier from an ice sheet?
The illustration draws the distinction: a glacier resides on land, while an ice sheet floats atop the ocean's surface—like an ice cube in your favorite drink. And an iceberg? A miniaturized ice sheet. That leaves the more interesting question: where across Earth's landmasses are the actual glaciers? I have yet to see one in person.
Before this analysis, I imagined glaciers only at the poles: the Arctic and Antarctic. The map suggests a broader question: what else determines where a glacier can exist on Earth?
The map splits the data into green and yellow glacier groups. Their locations are different; their overall altitudes are, too.
For anyone planning to explore Earth's frozen landscapes, the map offers a practical answer: head far north, far south, or high into the mountains. Dress warmly.
