cryosphere

[krahy-oh-sfeer]

noun

Ecology.

1. the part of the earth’s surface where, at temperatures below 32°F (0°C), the water is frozen solid. Even a small pond while frozen over during the winter is part of the cryosphere, but cryosphere refers more often to large regions covered in snow and ice for much or all of the year, as the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, glaciers, icebergs, and expanses of permafrost, all of which are especially sensitive to global shifts in climate.

   Her research on the cryosphere included fieldwork at the South Pole with other climatologists.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cryosphere¹

First recorded in 1935–40; cryo- ( def. ) + -sphere ( def. )

Example Sentences

"The main contributor to the marine heatwaves around the UK is the buildup of heat in the ocean," said Dr Caroline Rowland, head of oceans, cryosphere and climate change at the Met Office.

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Furthermore, only a paucity of studies deal with the effects of plastics on the atmosphere and the cryosphere, which is that part of the Earth's surface where water is present as snow or ice.

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Each study involves the cryosphere, or those regions on the planet where water freezes into ice or snow.

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The World Meteorological Organization's director of hydrology, water and cryosphere said developed countries such as Japan were "extremely alert, and they're also very well prepared when it comes to flood management measures."

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“When we’re talking about the oceans, atmosphere, the land, the cryosphere, the ice, and all that sort of thing, oceans have taken up more of that heat than any other component,” Bond said.

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