cryosphere

A component of the climate system that encompasses all the water found in a solid state on Earth, whether above or below the Earth's surface, both in continental and marine areas. It includes sea, lake, and river ice, the snow deposited on dry land, glaciers, the large ice sheets (Antarctica, Greenland), and temporarily or permanently frozen ground (permafrost). The cryosphere plays an important role in the Earth's climate and is key to the future evolution of global warming. The high reflective power of snow and ice (up to 90% of incident solar radiation) is a natural regulator of planetary average temperature. A smaller icy surface implies greater heat absorption on Earth, with a resulting temperature increase.