snow line

1. The lower altitudinal boundary of a snow-covered area, especially of one that is perennially covered, such as the snowcap of a mountain.

2. The fluctuating latitudinal boundaries around the polar regions marking the extent of snow cover.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

snow line

snowline

(Physical Geography) the altitudinal or latitudinal limit of permanent snow

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

snow′ line`

1. the line, as on mountains, above which there is perpetual snow.

2. the latitudinal line marking the limit of the fall of snow at sea level.

[1825–35]

snow line

1. The boundary marking the lowest altitude at which a given area, such as the top of a mountain, is always covered with snow.

2. The boundary marking the furthest extent around the polar regions at which there is snow cover. The polar snow lines vary with the seasons.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

snow line - the line on a mountain above which there is perpetual snow and ice

line - a spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent

Translations

SchneefallgrenzeSchneegrenze

snow line

n → limite m delle nevi perenni

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

But in most creatures, nay in man himself, very often the brow is but a mere strip of alpine land lying along the snow line. Few are the foreheads which like Shakespeare's or Melancthon's rise so high, and descend so low, that the eyes themselves seem clear, eternal, tideless mountain lakes; and all above them in the forehead's wrinkles, you seem to track the antlered thoughts descending there to drink, as the Highland hunters track the snow prints of the deer.

View in context

By this time our water was exhausted once more, and we were suffering severely from thirst, nor indeed could we see any chance of relieving it till we reached the snow line far, far above us.

As we ascended we found the air grew cooler and cooler, which was a great relief to us, and at dawn, so far as we could judge, we were not more than about a dozen miles from the snow line. Here we discovered more melons, and so had no longer any anxiety about water, for we knew that we should soon get plenty of snow.

View in context

The snow line is initially far away from the star, perhaps at least one billion miles.

Why our Earth is so dry

"We can assume Norton's trip to Tow Law is off," said Amos of the Ancients' trip above the snow line. "Their secretary has sent me some pictures of their pitch which looks positively polar."

IT JUST GOES ON; Big freeze could mean season extension

"Near the snow line, the five paces were reduced to three and the rest took place every hundred yards.

A personal journey to Kilimanjaro's snows; Fifteen former Wales rugby captains will attempt to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro in September, with Health Editor Madeleine Brindley in tow. Here, she describes how she will be following in the footsteps of her intrepid great-uncle Henry, on a journey with a very personal significance

"I think the snow line is around 4,500 feet - possibly a bit higher on south and west slopes and lower on north and east slopes.

Spring to it!

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are mostly rock and iron rather than water because they formed inside the "snow line" of the early solar system.

Finding waterworlds

If you are looking for late ski bargains, try these one-stop shops might be helpful: www.iglu.com, Snow Line (0870 333 0064), Ski Solutions (0207 471 7700) and Snow Finders (01858 466888).

Travel: Drift off to thrills

That's because ice in the early solar system is thought to have formed beyond a "snow line" lying somewhere between Mars and Jupiter.

Scientists may have found first direct evidence of water ice on asteroid's surface

Steve Dube reports reports THE permanent winter snow line above 610m - 2,000ft - in Snowdonia is a thing of the past.

Images of beauty from a changing landscape