20 countries world wide contain components of the cryosphere. The Cryosphere is truly global!

The Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project's mission is to stimulate, support, and coordinate international research into how the cryosphere interacts with the rest of the climate system. Components of the cryosphere are strongly influenced by changes in the climate and may provide key indicators of both natural and human-induced climate change. The CliC project will focus on identifying patterns and rates of change in cryospheric parameters.

CliC was established in March 2000 by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), became a co-sponsor of CliC in 2004, and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) joined as co-sponsor in 2008.

Global Cryosphere by Type

The term "cryosphere" describes those portions of the Earth's surface where water is in solid form. This includes all kinds of ice, snow, and frozen ground such as permafrost. The cryosphere is strongly influenced by temperature, solar radiation and precipitation, and, in turn, influences each of these properties. It also has an effect on the exchange of heat and moisture between the Earth's surface (land or sea) and the atmosphere, on clouds, on river flow (hydrology), and on atmospheric and oceanic circulation.