Roberta Schupska, age 11, of North Madison, Ohio, for her question:

What is glaciology?

You need only a little detective work to solve the meaning of this word. The last part of it rhymes with biology and geology. It has the same meaning, which is the‑study‑of. What is glaciology the study of? The first part of the word spells out the answer.

Glaciology is the study of glaciers and such. It is a branch of geology, the study of the earth's rocks. Ana glaciers and other icy fingers have had a lot to do with the surface of the earth.

The glaciologist figures out the story of the bitter Ice Ages. He studies the ice and glaciers on the earth today. He is also interested in the effect that glaciers have on living things. He knows which plants and animals can survive in glacial conditions and which cannot.

All this study gives a total picture of glacial ice and what it does to the earth's rocks and living things. Right now, glaciologists are studying the ice cap at the South Pole in detail for the first time.