HYOURAKU — Cryosphere

HYOURAKU is a visual education app for learning the science of Earth's ice — glaciology, sea ice, and paleoclimate — by watching and interacting with beautiful simulations. As the cryosphere module of the "Raku" series, it sits next to KAIRAKU (oceanography) and connects naturally through sea ice, thermohaline circulation, and sea-level rise. It covers six topics from high-school earth science up to introductory glaciology and climatology. [Six Modules] - Glacier Dynamics See how a glacier "flows even though it is solid," drawn as a valley cross-section. Move the temperature and accumulation (snowfall) sliders to shift the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA); the ratio of accumulation to ablation zones sets the mass balance. A positive balance advances the terminus, a negative one retreats it — a hands-on way to understand why so many mountain glaciers are retreating under warming. -…