The terrestrial cryosphere is considered to comprise land areas with snow cover, lake- and river-ice, glaciers and ice caps, permafrost and seasonally frozen ground and solid precipitation.
Studies of the balance and exchange of water, energy and matter between the terrestrial cryosphere and the atmosphere involve the sciences of meteorology, climatology, hydrology, geocryology, glaciology, biogeochemistry and geomorphology. Each of these disciplines is relatively well developed, but multi-disciplinary research in their interaction remains a challenge. Also, many of the processes involving the terrestrial cryosphere are poorly represented in current climate models. Assessing the role of the cryosphere in climate variability and change of mountainous regions (glaciers, permafrost, snow, etc.) presents a significant challenge.
- What are the magnitudes, patterns and rates of change in terrestrial cryosphere regimes on seasonal-to-century time-scales? What are the associated changes in the water cycle?
- What is the role of terrestrial cryospheric processes in the spatial and temporal variability of the water, energy and carbon cycles of cold climate regions, and how can they be parameterized in models?
- What are the interactions and feedbacks between the terrestrial cryosphere and atmosphere/ocean systems and current climate? How variable are these interactions and how will they change in the future?
Articles from Hydrological Processes: Hydrologic Effects of a ShrinkingCryosphere
