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The Global Cryosphere

Past, Present and Future

Roger Barry, distinguished professor emeritus of geography; and Thian Yew Gan, University of Alberta

Cambridge University Press

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.

“Barry and Gan, with their encyclopedic knowledge and extensive teaching experience have produced an extraordinary text that covers virtually all aspects of Earth's fragile cryosphere. ... it will be highly valued by climatologists, cryospheric scientists, and students engaging in learning about this important component of our changing planet.”

—Anne Nolin Oregon State University


“ ... the first comprehensive account of the cryosphere. ... The breadth and depth of coverage and the outstanding scholarship that has typified Barry's life-long dedication here unfolds as [a] masterpiece. It will long remain the ultimate reference and teaching source.”

—Jack D. Ives, University of California, Davis and Carleton University, Ottawa


: ...an indispensable reference work on the topic of snow and ice ... a truly enlightening work!”

—Ludwig Braun, Commission for Geodesy and Glaciology, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities


“... the most comprehensive presentation of major aspects of the cryosphere ... No other single book has so successfully integrated the terrestrial cryosphere … and the marine cryosphere ... in such an attractively readable manner. ... As an excellent introductory text book for all forms of the cryosphere it is well suited for advanced undergraduates and junior graduate students.”

—Atsumu Ohmura, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology