Dr Roger G Barry

Global snow and ice play a major role in the climate system through ice-albedo feedback and other complex interactions operating on many time scales. These include: snow cover and frozen ground effects on the hydrological cycle, sea ice effects on atmospheric and ocean fluxes, land ice effects on global sea level trends, and methane release from thawing of permafrost. Many cryospheric variables serve as key indicators of climate change and variability. Current as of10/29/01