The Cryosphere and Global Environmental Change

The cryosphere is an essential member of the globe’s environmental systems, with a unique sensitivity to climate change at all spatial and temporal scales. This is the first textbook to consider all aspects of the cryosphere system (ice sheets, sea ice, snow, river and lake ice, glaciers, and permafrost) in the context of global environmental change driven by human activity and climate. As well as clearly describing the present state of our understanding of the complex interactions between the cryosphere and environmental change, the book provides a wealth of data to inform the global change debate. Some key aspects of the book include:

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• a new concept of cryosphere transience and landscape transitions which links the topics of climate, hydrology, ecology and geomorphology.
  
• a synthesis of anthropogenic and climatic factors in global environmental change.
  
• a detailed description of how modern and historical remote sensing measurements have been used to significantly advance our understanding of the state of the cryosphere.

The Cryosphere and Global Environmental Change is written for upper level undergraduate and graduate students in geography, environmental science and earth science, but it will also appeal to all scientists engaged with global change issues.