cryosphere
noun
cryo·sphere
ˈkrī-ō-ˌsfir 
plural cryospheres
: the part of the earth's surface characterized by the presence of frozen water
The cryosphere consists of mountain glaciers and continental ice sheets, seasonal snow and ice cover on land, and sea ice.—
Raymond S. Bradley
Raymond S. BradleyThe third component of the climate system, after the atmosphere and oceans, is the cryosphere—extensive ice fields of Antarctica and Greenland plus other stretches of continental snow and ice and sea ice.—Stephen H. Schneider
Stephen H. Schneider
also
: a region that is part of the earth's cryosphere
We know that sea levels are rising because of thermal expansion of the ocean as well as the disintegration and the melting of the cryospheres of the world's glaciers. —Elizabeth Rush
Elizabeth Rush Examples of cryosphere in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Such ice shelves are an important part of the earth's cryosphere.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2025
Their formation, movement and melting offer insights into some of the most extreme areas of the cryosphere, such as Antarctica, Greenland and the Arctic Ocean.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025
What’s more, top cryosphere scientists are growing increasingly worried that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a key ocean current that governs how heat cycles in the Atlantic Ocean, is on a path toward collapse.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
Nicola Twilley is like the Ernest Shackleton of the planet’s artificial cryosphere.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2024
Various earlier reports have found that the cryosphere — regions on Earth covered by snow and ice — are among the worst affected by climate change.
—Sibi Arasu, USA TODAY, 21 June 2023
With two billion people in Asia reliant on the water that glaciers and snow here hold, the consequences of losing this cryosphere are too vast to contemplate.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 20 June 2023
Other studies that use different methods to measure the ice sheet have found consistent ice losses, Brooke Medley, a NASA cryosphere scientist, told USA TODAY in an email.
—Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2023
As the ramifications of climate change are intensely associated with the cryosphere, a concerted effort to build a scientific understanding of these regions—high mountains and the Arctic and the Antarctic has been prioritised by many nations, including India.
—Sulagna Chattopadhyay, Quartz, 15 Dec. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2025
Their formation, movement and melting offer insights into some of the most extreme areas of the cryosphere, such as Antarctica, Greenland and the Arctic Ocean.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025
What’s more, top cryosphere scientists are growing increasingly worried that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a key ocean current that governs how heat cycles in the Atlantic Ocean, is on a path toward collapse.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
Nicola Twilley is like the Ernest Shackleton of the planet’s artificial cryosphere.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2024
Various earlier reports have found that the cryosphere — regions on Earth covered by snow and ice — are among the worst affected by climate change.
—Sibi Arasu, USA TODAY, 21 June 2023
With two billion people in Asia reliant on the water that glaciers and snow here hold, the consequences of losing this cryosphere are too vast to contemplate.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 20 June 2023
Other studies that use different methods to measure the ice sheet have found consistent ice losses, Brooke Medley, a NASA cryosphere scientist, told USA TODAY in an email.
—Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2023
As the ramifications of climate change are intensely associated with the cryosphere, a concerted effort to build a scientific understanding of these regions—high mountains and the Arctic and the Antarctic has been prioritised by many nations, including India.
—Sulagna Chattopadhyay, Quartz, 15 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Cryosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryosphere. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share