The global cryosphere [electronic resource] : past, present, and future / Roger G. Barry and Thian Yew Gan.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; Part I. The Terrestrial Cryosphere: 2A. Snow cover; 2B. Avalanches; 3. Glaciers and ice caps; 4. Ice sheets; 5. Seasonally frozen ground and permafrost; 6. Freshwater ice: lakes, rivers and icings; Part II. The Marine Cryosphere: 7. Sea ice; 8. Ice shelves and icebergs; Part III. The Cryosphere Past and Future: 9. The cryosphere in the past; 10. The future cryosphere - impacts of global warming; Part IV. Applications: 11. Applications of snow and ice research; Glossary; References; Index.

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.