Overview
The Earth's cryosphere includes snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, ice shelves, sea ice, river ice, lake ice and frozen ground. It also contains seventy-five percent of the world's fresh water. Because it plays a vital role in controlling the global climate system, and because it provides direct visible evidence of the effect of climate change, it is crucial that we understand its complex dynamics. This reference not only focuses on various aspects of snow, ice and glaciers; it also covers other cryospheric branches, offering the latest information and basic concepts on all relevant fields. The array of topics it covers is as vast and comprehensive as the audience it's intended to serve, everyone from geologists and geographers to climatologists and hydrologists as well as a broad spectrum of civil, agricultural and environmental engineers.