Definition of Ablation zone

Ablation zone refers to the low altitude area of a glacier or ice sheet where there is a net loss in ice mass due to melting, sublimation, evaporation, or calving. The ablation zone is delineated by the equilibrium line altitude (ELA), or snow line, which separates the ablation zone and the high altitude accumulation zone. The ablation zone often contains meltwater features such as supraglacial, englacial, and subglacial streams. The seasonally melting glacier deposits much sediment at its fringes in the ablation area. Ablation constitutes a key part of the glacier mass balance.