Glossary
Particles suspended in the atmosphere that scatter and absorb radiation, influencing Earth's energy balance and climate by affecting clouds.
Reflectivity of a surface (snow) or a particle, representing the percentage of sunlight it reflects.
A glacier that is confined by surrounding mountain terrain; also called a mountain glacier.
It is a layer of gas and suspended solids that cover the Earth, working as a protective bubble where life is possible. It holds the air we breathe as well as moisture, gases, and tiny particles.
Study of the physical processes governing the state and behavior of moisture in the atmosphere, including evaporation, condensation, and associated energy exchanges.
The breaking off chunks of ice from a glacier front into the sea.
A computer-based simulation of Earth’s climate systems.
The cryosphere encompasses all frozen water on Earth, including glaciers, permafrost, and snow cover.
The process of a liquid changing to gas, especially by heating.
Combined processes by which water is transferred to the atmosphere from the soil by evaporation and from the vegetation by transpiration.
Subsurface mapping using seismic, radar, or electrical methods.
A glacial lake is a body of water that originates from a glacier. It typically forms at the foot of a glacier, but may form on, in, or under it.
GLOF is the sudden release of water from a lake fed by glacier melt that has formed at the side, in front, within, beneath, or on the surface of a glacier.
A glacier is an accumulation of ice and snow large enough to deform under its own weight and slowly flow over land.
Science dealing with the properties and occurrence of ice, ice accumulation and ice action in all its forms.
Instrument to map snow and ice layers and detect permafrost changes.
The hydrosphere includes all liquid water on Earth, such as oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
A dome-shaped glacier covering less than 50,000 km².
A steep section of a glacier with rapid flow and broken ice.
Used to detect surface changes like glacier movement or thaw subsidence.
The rate of energy received per unit area (e.g., W/m²).
Particulate substances, like black carbon, mineral dust, or organic matter, that settle on surfaces such as snow and ice, absorbing incoming solar radiation and reducing their reflective ability (albedo).
A moraine is material left behind by a moving glacier. This material is usually soil and rock.
A non-invasive imaging technique that uses cosmic-ray muons to measure the internal density of large, dense objects. In cryospheric research, it enables real-time monitoring of snowpacks and permafrost by detecting muon absorption, helping to track structural changes and improve climate and hazard models.
It is a permanently frozen layer on or under Earth's surface. It is made of soil or rock in which the temperature has been continuously below the freezing point for at least some years. Source: International Glossary of Hydrology
Instrument used to measure the amount of liquid precipitation in a specific area over time; it is essentially another term for a rain gauge.
Precipitation is any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the earth. It comes in many forms, like rain, sleet, and snow.
Energy transmitted as waves or particles.
A component of a radiosonde that measures atmospheric variables like temperature, pressure, and humidity during balloon-borne flights, transmitting data to ground stations via radio.
The use of satellites or aircraft to collect data about the Earth’s surface.
Transformation of snow into liquid water.
The hydrogen and oxygen isotopes are a part of the water molecule and do not decay over time. They can be used as "conservative" tracers to track a water particle during its hydrological lifecycle.
Change in phase from solid directly into gaseous state or deposition.
Weather conditions (temperature, humidity, wind, pressure, precipitation) near the Earth's surface.
An opening in permafrost caused by thawing or retreat of glaciers, mainly in the glacier-forefield
Thermogenic methane in glacier and permafrost research is methane (CH₄) formed deep underground from high-temperature decomposition of organic matter, often trapped beneath ice or permafrost and released during thaw, contributing to climate change.
