28 Enlightening Cryosphere Facts To Teach Your Kids

The cryosphere can be referred to as those parts of the Earth's surface where water does not exist in liquid form but rather in solid form.

Various kinds of Earth's surfaces fall under the category of the cryosphere, ranging from glaciers, sea ice, ice sheets, river ice, frozen ground, to snow cover. The cryosphere is capable of reflecting back solar radiation which comes from space, meaning that the cryosphere plays a very important role in controlling the planet's climate.

The cryosphere is generally composed of those areas on Earth that experience temperatures of below 32 F (0 C) during the majority of the year. It has been recorded that snow and ice found on land constitute a large part of the cryosphere.

The entire cryosphere can roughly be divided into two parts. One is the ice that is found in water such as frozen lakes and oceans, and the other part is the ice on land such as ice sheets located in Antarctica and Greenland.

Introduction To The Cryosphere

The places on Earth which are so cold that water is naturally present in a frozen state make up the cryosphere. The water particles in these regions are either present in the form of snow or ice shelves.

These cold regions have the power to influence the climate of the entire planet and play an important role in climate change and global warming.

• Scientists have been using the word 'cryosphere' as an umbrella term for referring to areas of ice coverage such as ice sheets in Greenland, lake ice in various parts of the world, and many other areas as well.
• The cryosphere and the hydrosphere often overlap with each other as one often converts to the other depending upon the season.
• Snow and ice share a similar life cycle because they turn from water to snow or ice shelves and after some time again, melt back to become water.
• On some occasions, snow and ice do not directly melt into water. Instead, the snow or ice is pushed away by ocean currents or other natural forces.
• The cryosphere can influence the formation of clouds, oceanic circulation, and precipitation levels.
• The study of the cryosphere is called cryology.
• The ice sheets and glaciers which are a part of the cryosphere can remain a part of it for a long time, ranging from 10-100,000 years.
• The Arctic in the North Pole and Antarctica in the South Pole are the main locations of the cryosphere, however, they are certainly not the only locations.
• Sea ice in the North Pole forms in the Arctic Ocean. The amount of sea ice increases during the winter and declines during the summer indicating the continuous change in ice cover. This shows the constant seasonal change that occurs in the cryosphere.

Importance Of The Cryosphere

The existence of the cryosphere is much more important for the existence of this planet than all of us realize. A massive reduction in the cryosphere could lead to a sea-level rise as the ice melts, causing lots of problems around the planet. Here are some facts about the importance of the cryosphere and how it protects this planet.

• Whether it is sea ice or land ice, both are a part of the cryosphere and play a pivotal role in keeping the global climate system working.
• Continental ice sheets or sea ice, such as Arctic sea ice, act as reflective shields for this planet and reflect the solar radiation coming from the Sun back into space.
• Due to this mechanism, the cryosphere protects the planet from getting too warm, protecting life in equatorial and polar regions.
• The amount of sunlight that ice shelves can reflect is much greater than the amount of sunlight that fields and open water can reflect.
• This frozen water, or the cryosphere, can impact the mean temperature of the planet.
• A drastic change in the cryosphere can lead to a disbalance in the energy levels of the planet.
• Studies have suggested that melting ice due to global warming will lead to a massive rise in sea level. All these changes are connected to the cryosphere, so a healthy cryosphere is important.

Parts Of The Cryosphere

The cryosphere is very important for the existence of this planet for maintaining maximum snow extent. Here are the different parts of the cryosphere that have made sure our planet is healthy to date.

• It is a common misconception that the cryosphere is located only at the two poles of the planet.
• In reality, thin ice on the ground in areas at high elevation, even near the center of the Earth or Mount Kilimanjaro's ice cap, are all a part of the cryosphere.
• In Antarctica, the ice shelf covers a large section of water. When the outer parts of these shelves break, they continue to float as icebergs until they move towards warmer waters.
• Ground that is frozen throughout the year is known as permafrost or permanently frozen ground. This can be found at locations other than the two poles, especially at high elevation ground.
• Other parts of the cryosphere include snow made of ice crystals, glaciers, sea ice, and icebergs.

Fun Facts About The Cryosphere

The cryosphere plays an important part when it comes to controlling the Earth's climate and regulating the planet's temperature, sea levels, and precipitation levels.

• The word 'cryosphere' is derived from the Greek word 'kryos' which means 'cold'.
• Shelf ice is derived from continental ice. Shelf ice forms when continental ice flows from land to sea.
• Scientists are able to notice the effects of climate change in the cryosphere before other places.
• Polar regions, which are perhaps the most important part of the cryosphere, are very sensitive to the smallest climatic changes.
• Understanding how the cryosphere function is important because humans can develop an understanding of the way water and air move in oceans and the atmosphere.
• Interestingly, the surface energy of the Earth is also influenced by the cryosphere.
• The age of the cryosphere changes. In some regions, the cryosphere is 100,000 years old while some deep ice in Antarctica is million years old.
• The entire Earth's cryosphere covers an area of 26 million sq mi (68 million sq km).