The Global Cryosphere: Past, Present and Future

by Roger Barry, Thian Yew Gan

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139124652
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/11/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Roger Barry is Director of the World Data Center for Glaciology, a Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences and a Distinguished Professor of Geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He served as Director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center from 1981–2008. His teaching and research has been in climate change, arctic and mountain climates, and snow and ice processes. He has published 20 textbooks, more than 200 articles and supervised 55 graduate students. He was co-Vice Chair of the Climate and Cryosphere Project of the World Climate Research Programme from 2000–2005. Roger was a Guggenheim Fellow (1982–1983) and a Fulbright Teaching Fellow (Moscow, 2001). He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. He is a winner of the Goldthwait Polar Medal (2006); the Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, London (2007); the F. Matthes award of the Cryospheric Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers (2007); and the Humboldt Prize (2009–2011). He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with other team members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007). He has been a Visiting Professor in Australia (1975), France (2004), Germany (1994, 2009, 2010), Japan (1983), New Zealand (1986), Russia (2001), Switzerland (1983, 1990, 1997) and the United Kingdom (1997). He is fluent in French, German and Russian.
Thian Yew Gan is a Professor at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. His teaching and research has been in snow hydrology, remote sensing, hydrologic modeling, hydroclimatology, data analysis, climate change impact on hydrologic processes, and water resources management and planning. Thian has supervised 30 graduate students and published over 60 refereed papers in various international journals of the American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, Royal Meteorological Society, Elsevier Science, the American Society of Civil Engineers and others. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) (2010); Visiting Scientist at Cemagraf, France (2009); a CIRES Visiting Fellow at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) of the University of Colorado, Boulder (2007, 2008); Guest University Professor at the Technical University of Munich (2006–2007); Adjunct Professor at Utah State University (1998–2005); Honorary Professor at Xian University of Technology, China (since 2004); Honorary Professor at Yangtze University, China (2010–2013); Visiting Professor at Kyoto University and JSPS Fellow, Japan (1999–2000); Guest Professor at Saga University, Japan (1999); Assistant Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology of Thailand (1989–1990); and regional hydrologist of the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (1992–1993) on snow measurements and mapping at the Arctic.

Table of Contents

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.

Editorial Reviews

"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

"... an excellent synoptic perspective of the Earth's cold regions ... an outstanding introduction to those new to the field. The text should serve as a key reference for upper-level undergraduate instruction and ancillary summary material for graduate-level courses." Derrick J. Lampkin, Pennsylvania State University

"This book is obviously a unique and valuable reference source for researchers and others wishing to have quick access to the entire field of cryospheric sciences...It is clear that the real strength of the book is its encyclopedic coverage of the cryosphere and the changes that it has undergone and is undergoing. In terms of cost per bit of information, it must be a bargain." - W. D. Harrison, Journal of Glaciology, April 2012

"By providing this textbook, Roger Barry and Thian Yew Gan have given us exactly what we need, a basis for offering an undergraduate course in polar sciences. I hope that many particular specialists in colleges and universities will start using this textbook in new courses in Cryospheric Sciences, as I am. It will go a long way toward achieving the rightful place of the Cryosphere in the full pantheon of Earth Science. The authors are to be commended for a truly significant contribution to the Cryospheric Sciences community." - Stephen F. Ackley, Journal of Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research

'… not only required reading for courses at upper undergraduate and graduate level or a handbook for earth science and technology specialists … but also a comprehensive, well thought-over guide into the intriguing frozen world … the clear handling of sometimes difficult issues is the main asset of the book … recommended to all those dealing with theory and practice of cold-climate regions.' Geologos

'Barry and Gan have neatly answered the need of researchers and teachers alike for a single text to explain and draw common themes from glaciology, ice sheet modelling, snow processes, river ice and permafrost … a detailed and comprehensive work of reference … This is a valuable text for academic staff and would serve very well as a library reference for undergraduates.' The Holocene

'… this excellent new volume … [is] a major contribution to our understanding of the cryosphere, by combining the authors’ first-hand knowledge of the issues and presenting a synthesis of a vast range of published literature. …[The book is] a superb effort by the authors, and they should be commended for bringing together so many facts and analyses concerning the state of the cryosphere. For those of us who are frequently challenged about the reality and impact of global warming, this book has many of the answers!' Michael Hambrey, Antarctic Science

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