Geography
How Retreating Glaciers Expose New Proglacial Landscapes and Ecosystems
Quick fact
In some proglacial areas, pioneer mosses and lichens can begin growing within just a few years of ice retreat, and a continuous vegetation cover may develop in as little as 50 years, although full forest ecosystems may take centuries to establish.
Why this is interesting
Imagine a landscape that has been buried under ice for thousands of years, suddenly revealed to the sun. What happens to this raw, barren ground as the ice retreats?