The Global Cryosphere

A comprehensive account of all components of the Earth's cryosphere, including their past characteristics, and future states.

This is the first textbook to address all the components of the Earth's cryosphere - all forms of snow and ice, both terrestrial and marine. It provides a concise but comprehensive summary of snow cover, glaciers, ice sheets, lake and river ice, permafrost, sea ice and icebergs - their past history and projected future state. It is designed for courses at upper undergraduate and graduate level in environmental science, geography, geology, glaciology, hydrology, water resource engineering and ocean sciences. It also provides a superb up-to-date summary for researchers of the cryosphere. The book includes an extensive bibliography, numerous figures and color plates, thematic boxes on selected topics and a glossary. The book builds on courses taught by the authors for many decades at the University of Colorado and the University of Alberta. Whilst there are many existing texts on individual components of the cryosphere, no other textbook covers the whole cryosphere"

"This is the first textbook to address all the components of the Earth's cryosphere - all forms of snow and ice, both terrestrial and marine. It provides a concise but comprehensive summary of snow cover, glaciers, ice sheets, lake and river ice, permafrost, sea ice and icebergs - their past history and projected future state. It is designed for courses at upper undergraduate and graduate level in environmental science, geography, geology, glaciology, hydrology, water resource engineering and ocean sciences. It also provides a superb up-to-date summary for researchers of the cryosphere. The book includes an extensive bibliography, numerous figures and color plates, thematic boxes on selected topics and a glossary. The book builds on courses taught by the authors for many decades at the University of Colorado and the University of Alberta. Whilst there are many existing texts on individual components of the cryosphere, no other textbook covers the whole cryosphere"--

This is the first textbook to address all the components of the Earth's cryosphere - all forms of snow and ice, both terrestrial and marine. It provides a concise but comprehensive summary of snow cover, glaciers, ice sheets, lake and river ice, permafrost, sea ice and icebergs - their past history and projected future state. It is designed for courses at upper undergraduate and graduate level in environmental science, geography, geology, glaciology, hydrology, water resource engineering and ocean sciences. It also provides a superb up-to-date summary for researchers of the cryosphere. The book includes an extensive bibliography, numerous figures and color plates, thematic boxes on selected topics and a glossary. The book builds on courses taught by the authors for many decades at the University of Colorado and the University of Alberta. Whilst there are many existing texts on individual components of the cryosphere, no other textbook covers the whole cryosphere.

This is the first textbook to consider all aspects of thecryosphere system in the context of global environmental changedriven by human activity and climate. Considers all six aspects of the cryosphere – ice sheets,glacier ice, permafrost, river and lake ice, sea ice and snow– in the context of global environmental change driven byhuman activity and climate. Describes a new concept of cryosphere transience and landscapetransition which links climate, hydrology, ecology andgeomorphology. Looks at the evidence, process, and patterns of cryospherechange, on local and global scales. Provides a wealth of data to inform the current globalenvironmental change debate. Additional resources for this book can be found at: ahref="http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=index&bcsId=5064&itemId=140512976X"http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=index&bcsId=5064&itemId=140512976X/a.

The cryosphere encompasses the Earth's snow and ice masses. It is a critical part of our planet's climate system, one that is especially at risk from climate change and global warming. The Cryosphere provides an essential introduction to the subject, written by one of the world's leading experts in Earth-system science. In this primer, glaciologist Shawn Marshall introduces readers to the cryosphere and the broader role it plays in our global climate system. After giving a concise overview, he fully explains each component of the cryosphere and how it works--seasonal snow, permafrost, river and lake ice, sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves. Marshall describes how snow and ice interact with our atmosphere and oceans and how they influence climate, sea level, and ocean circulation. He looks at the cryosphere's role in past ice ages and considers the changing cryosphere's future impact on our landscape, oceans, and climate. Accessible and authoritative, this primer also features a glossary of key terms, suggestions for further reading, explanations of equations, and a discussion of open research questions in the field.

The cryosphere is an important part of the global climate system, particularly in relation to atmospheric and oceanic cycles and hydrology. They are also crucial because the environmental changes and climatic variability are most evident in these regions of earth. This book brings forth some of the most significant topics for discussion in this field of study like glacial flow, ice sheet cover and ice thickness, impact of climate change on glaciers, etc. It presents researches and studies performed by experts across the globe. Students and researchers would find this book an invaluable source of knowledge on this topic.

This book provides a definitive overview of the global drivers of high-mountain cryosphere change and their implications for people across high-mountain regions.