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Snow and ice are melting far above normal seasonal changes, and the changes are occurring at an accelerating pace. We see this happening in all snow- and ice-covered regions: Antarctica, the Arctic, Greenland, the “third pole” of the Himalayas, and other glaciated areas throughout the world.
The consequences for the regions affected are already considerable and more are expected. However, the melting is not only an issue for the areas where it occurs. Snow and ice are important components of the Earth’s climate system. Melting will be felt in all regions of the world through increased global warming and rising sea levels. Moreover, the loss of summer ice cover on the Arctic Ocean is leading to greater
absorption of heat from the Sun. This is thawing the permafrost surrounding the Arctic and threatening the release of very large quantities of additional carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. In April 2009, climate scientists and foreign ministers from states affected by melting snow and ice brought the attention of the globe to the plight of the cryosphere
in their conference Melting Ice: Regional Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call. As co-chairs of the conference we charged a group of leading scientists to summarize what we know about how fast this melting is occurring, and how it will affect the Earth and its climate.