Meaning & use
Firns
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Plural of 'firn': old, granular snow that has survived at least one summer melt season and is partially compacted on its way to becoming glacial ice.
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Scientists drilled through layers of firns to study centuries of snowfall data.
Climbers crossed a wide field of firns near the glacier's upper reaches.
A note on using this word
From German/Swiss German 'firn', meaning 'of last year'; firn is an intermediate stage between fresh snow and dense glacial ice.
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