global-cryosphere-watch

The Cryosphere

The cryosphere describes those portions of Earth's surface where water is in solid form. This includes snow, sea ice, glaciers, permafrost, etc.

Snow

Snow is precipitation in the form of ice crystals, originating in clouds where air temperatures are below freezing (0˚C, 32˚F), and generally where ground temperatures are less than 5˚C (41˚F).

Sea Ice

Sea ice is formed at the sea surface by the freezing of seawater. In contrast to icebergs, glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves, sea ice forms and melts entirely in the ocean.

GCW News

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2024 snow assessment is now available

Snow Assessment for Winter 2023-2024, Northern Hemisphere and Regional Aspects. Learn more.

05 Dec 2024

2023 snow assessment is now available

A snow assessment for 2023 is now available at https://globalcryospherewatch.org/assessments/snow/2023/.

26 Jan 2024

Early opening of Northwest Passage

On 29 August 2022, satellite data revealed the opening of the northern route of the Northwest Passage (NWP). The most recent year in which this route was open by this date was in 2011. Sea ice area in the northern NWP route was well below average but above the 2011 record low. The ice area in the southern route was also below normal. Read more at https://globalcryospherewatch.org/interesting/archive/nwp2022/.

09 Sep 2022

A snow assessment for winter 2021-2022 is available

See the new snow assessment for the 2021-2022 winter at https://globalcryospherewatch.org/assessments/snow/2022/. The assessment covers the Northern Hemisphere, subtropical Andes, and the Swiss Alps.

09 Sep 2022