Cryosphere

One of the interrelated components of the Earth's system, the cryosphere is frozen water in the form of snow, permanently frozen ground (permafrost), floating ice, and glaciers. Fluctuations in the volume of the cryosphere cause changes in ocean sea level, which directly impact the atmosphere and biosphere.

The frozen part of the Earth's surface. The cryosphere includes the polar ice caps, continental ice sheets, mountain glaciers, sea ice, snow cover, lake and river ice, and permafrost.

the portion of the world's climate system which consists of snow and ice deposits

Cryosphere One of the Earth's spheres of irregular form existing in the zone of interaction of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, distinguished by negative or zero temperature and the presence of water in the solid or super-cooled state. The term refers collectively to the portions of the Earth where water is in solid form. It includes snow cover, floating ice, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, seasonally frozen ground and perennially frozen ground (permafrost).