Introduction to the Physics of the Cryosphere

Introduction to the Physics of the Cryosphere is intended for graduates with a numerical sciences background, particularly those who are heading towards postgraduate study or are generally interested in environmental physics. Conservation equations underpin the physics encompassed in this book, although the interesting part comes in how the necessary variables and boundary conditions are defined to be able to simulate changes in the cryosphere. Phase changes between ice, liquid water and water vapour also come into play.

There are different components of the cryosphere, for example glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, lake ice, permafrost and snow. Physics that is common to all of these is described in chapter 1. Each component has features and processes that are unique or more relevant, so these are described in individual chapters. Permafrost is comprised of ice within the soil and stones, and thawing can lead to land surface collapse, as described in chapter 2. The microstructure of snow continually evolves, yet governs energy transfer, as described in chapter 3. Land ice, in chapter 4, is subject to large pressures that can cause melt at the base and reshape the underlying topography. Sea ice has a saline content, which affects the thermodynamics, and is also can be fast moving, so requires a consideration of momentum, as described in chapter 5. Changes in the cryosphere have been observed over past decades, which have been summarized in chapter 6.