New words – 11 April 2022

photograph of snow stained red by algae
Ashley Cooper / The Image Bank / Getty

glacier blood noun [U]
UK /ˈglæs.i.ə.blʌd/ US /ˈɡleɪ.ʃɚ.blʌd/, /ˈɡleɪ.si.ɚ.blʌd/
the phenomenon where algae in the soil under snow grow quickly and make the snow appear pink or red

In late spring, when the snowfall thaws, the mountain’s snow changes from a colorless hue to alarming shades of deep, rusty red. Dubbed “glacier blood,” the phenomenon occurs when algae rapidly overgrow, and researchers suspect it can reveal how climate change affects high elevation environments like the Alps.
[smithsonianmag.com, 14 June 2021]

rain bomb noun [C]
UK /ˈreɪn.bɒm/ US /ˈreɪn.bɑːm/
a sudden, severe gust of wind that blows straight down from the sky during a thunderstorm, bringing with it a very large quantity of rain

It was a wall of water. A record-breaking and relentless deluge that lasted days and flooded towns and cities along Queensland’s south-east coast, submerging thousands of homes and leaving at least nine people dead. As the water spreads to northern New South Wales, how did the so-called “rain bomb” develop? And why has Queensland’s capital flooded again just 11 years after the devastation of 2011?
[theguardian.com, 1 March 2022]

megaberg noun [C]
UK /ˈme.gə.bɜːg/ US /ˈme.gə.bɝːg/
an extremely large iceberg

Scientists have been keeping a close eye on the “megaberg” designated as A68a since it split off from Antarctica back in July 2017 – and new research highlights just how much freshwater it’s released into the ocean during its late melting process.
[sciencealert.com, 22 January 2022]

About new words

4 thoughts on “New words – 11 April 2022

  1. amossoise

    I appreciate learning new English words and I like the description given… so that we know how and whe to use those words or expressions. Thank you

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