User:Milton25/Sandbox

The mass balance or budget of a glacier is a summary of the relationship between inputs and outputs of the material that makes up a glacier. This equates to the additon of snow and debris to the zone of accumulation and the removal of meltwater and sediment from the zone of ablation.

A positive annual balance results if accumulation exceeds ablation during the course of a year, and a negative annual balance if ablation exceeds accumulation. In turn, a positive annual balance results in glacial advance, while a negative balance leads to glacial retreat. A zero balance suggests that accumulation and ablation are equal and that the glacier is neither advancing nor retreating.