NATURE OF CRYOSPHERE  Seasonal snow has the largest area of any component of the global land

surface, at its maximum in late winter it covers almost 50% of the land
The frozen part of the planet or the elements we see in the Antarctic and Arctic surface of the Northern Hemisphere.
regions is what we call cryosphere.

 The cryosphere is that part of the Earth’s surface or subsurface Large Area: Seasonal snow covers a larger area than any other part of
environment that is comprised of water in the solid state. the cryosphere. This coverage surpasses other components like
glaciers and ice sheets in terms of the surface area affected.
1. Glacier and Ice Sheets – flows into nearby, rivers, lakes, or directly to the
ocean.  Seasonal snow refers to the snow that falls during
2. Sea Ice – primarily affects the Arctic and Antarctic Region, since sea ice is
specific times of the year, typically in winter.
already floating on the ocean, its melting does not directly contribute to
sea level rise. However, it can impact on ocean salinity and temperature.  It covers a significant portion of the Earth’s land surface.
3. Permafrost – releases water into the surrounding soil and water bodies, if
permafrost melts, it can release greenhouse gases like methane and CO2 2. Why Is Seasonal Snow Important?
into the atmosphere, further contributing to climate change.
4. Ice sheet -water from the melting ice generally flows into the ocean. This  Climate Regulation:
process contributes to sea level rise. Some of the melted water may also o Snow is highly reflective. When sunlight hits the snow, it
flow into rivers and lakes, depending on the local geography.
bounces back into space, helping cool the planet.
 Snow: Precipitated water vapor frozen into ice crystals.  Water Source:
o As snow melts, it provides water for drinking and
 Sea Ice: Frozen ocean water, which forms and melts with the
irrigation in many regions.
seasons. o It also moisturizes soil and reduces wildfire risk.
 Glaciers and Ice Sheets: Massive, slow-moving bodies of ice found  Potential Challenges:
on land. o Too much snow can lead to springtime floods when the
 Icebergs: Large chunks of ice that break off from glaciers or ice snowpack melts.
shelves and float in the ocean.
3. Coverage and Variability:
 Permafrost: Ground that remains frozen for at least two
consecutive years, often containing ice.  Northern Hemisphere:
o During late winter, seasonal snow covers almost 50% of
 The cryosphere contains nearly 80% of all Earth’s freshwater the Northern Hemisphere’s land surface.
o High-altitude areas (like the Tibetan Plateau and the
 Antarctica: Contains about 60% of the world’s freshwater. Andes) maintain snow cover almost year-round.
 Greenland: Holds roughly 10% of the world’s freshwater.
Other Glaciers and Snow: The rest is found in smaller glaciers, ice
caps, and seasonal snow cover.

POLAR ICE SHEETS AND ICE CAPS

 Ice Sheets To prevent further melting, it is crucial to reduce the use of fossil
fuels and switch to renewable energy sources like solar and wind
 Large masses of glacial ice covering at least 20,000 square miles of power
land
 Formed from partially melted snow that has accumulated over 1. Polar Ice Sheets:
thousands of years o Definition: Polar ice sheets are massive, continental-
 The two major ice sheets are in Greenland and Antarctica scale ice masses that cover land areas near the poles.
Ice Caps They are primarily found in Antarctica and Greenland.
o Extent: These ice sheets can be thousands of meters
 Smaller versions of ice sheets, covering less than 20,000 square thick and cover millions of square kilometers.
miles
o Formation: Over time, snow accumulates and
 Also dome-shaped and form from the accumulation of snow and ice compresses into ice, forming these immense ice sheets.
Glaciers o Antarctic Ice Sheet: The Antarctic ice sheet is the
largest, containing about 90% of the world’s ice. It plays
 Large ice masses created by snowfall that has transformed into ice
a crucial role in regulating global sea levels.
and compressed over many years
o Greenland Ice Sheet: The Greenland ice sheet covers
 Known for their ability to move, acting as slow-moving rivers most of Greenland and holds significant freshwater.
 Types include ice sheets, ice streams, and ice shelves o Climate Impact: Melting ice sheets contribute to rising
IMPORTANCE OF POLAR ICE sea levels, affecting coastal regions worldwide.
Polar ice plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate: 2. Polar Ice Caps:
o Definition: Ice caps are smaller ice masses that cover
 Their white color gives them a high albedo or reflectivity, reflecting
incoming sunlight and keeping the polar regions cool land areas but are less extensive than ice sheets.
o Size: They typically cover less than 50,000 square
 They contain an excellent historical record of Earth's climate for
kilometers.
researchers to analyze
3. Location: Ice caps exist in various high-latitude
 They act as a physical barrier around land, slowing the ice sheets' regions around the world.
migration into the ocean
4. Materials: Ice caps consist of snow and ice, often
MELTING AND ITS CONSEQUENCES overlaying mountainous terrain.
Unfortunately, average temperatures at the poles have begun to 5. Examples: Some well-known ice caps include
rise in recent years due to changes in the environment, causing the those in Iceland, the Canadian Arctic, and the
polar ice caps to melt and break apart. This can lead to: Patagonian Andes.

 Rising sea levels, creating problems for coastal areas around the CROSS SECTION
globe
1. Grounding Line:
 Changes in natural migration patterns of animals such as seals, o The grounding line marks the boundary between the grounded
polar bears, and whales ice and the ice shelf.
 Coastal villages being abandoned as sea levels rise
o Grounded Ice: This part rests on the bedrock and is thicker. It CONSEQUENCES
flows slowly toward the sea.
o Ice Shelf: The ice shelf floats on the water and is made of 1. Temperatures of ice sheets rise as they absorb heat from the atmosphere
freshwater ice that’s less dense than saltwater. above. However, because heat moves slowly through thick ice, this warming
2. Bedrock Rise: process takes hundreds to thousands of years. Warmer ice can soften and
o Imagine a bump in the ocean floor’s bedrock. This feature deform more, possibly increasing ice flow into the oceans.
affects how the ice stream flows.
2. If sea surface temperatures rise, ice shelves could melt more at their bases,
3. Deformable Till:
o At the base of the ice sheet, there’s a layer of sediment called making them thinner and weaker (Warner and Budd, 1990). As sea levels rise,
deformable till. the points where ice shelves are grounded could weaken, reducing the support
o When pressure is applied, this sediment can change shape. for inland ice. This might lead to more ice flowing out through ice streams,
4. Climate Change Impact: which are like the arteries of ice sheets (Bennett, 2003).
o The image helps us study ice flow and how it responds to
climate change.
o Changes in ice thickness, flow speed, and grounding line
location are crucial indicators.

In 1974, Weertman suggested that without support from an ice shelf, grounded ice
could retreat rapidly if the bedrock slopes downward inland from the grounding
line. This happens with some ice streams in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS).
When the ice shelf melts or sea levels rise, the grounded ice could accelerate,
become thinner, and quickly float off its bed.

Antarctica gains more ice than it loses, while Greenland loses more ice
than it gains. Global warming will reduce the total ice amount, and if
Greenland's temperature rises by over 3°C, its ice sheet could melt
completely, raising sea levels by about 7 meters over 1000 years.

Greenland's ice sheet isn't just affected by surface melting. Meltwater

reaching the ice base makes it flow faster, especially in summer. This
shows that the ice sheet can quickly respond to warming due to the
link between melting and ice flow.