Figure GT.15

Solar energy and erosion. The erosive forces of flowing water and flowing ice, both parts of the hydrosphere, are a manifestation of solar energy. Streams and ice in glaciers flow downslope and erode the land surface. Left: Water cuts into and flows over a plateau, creating Angel Falls in Venezuela (the highest waterfall in the world). Right: One of the many glaciers in Glacier Bay, Alaska, has created a valley through erosion.

(Sun, David McGlynn/Getty Images; waterfall, FabioFilzi/Vetta/Getty Images; glacier, Jim Wark)