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On thin ice: The disappearing cryosphere

The cryosphere – the Arctic, Antarctic and other frozen places, such as sea ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets and permafrost – plays an important role in regulating the Earth’s climate.

But the cryosphere has been sending warning signs for sometime now. The Arctic and Antarctic keep keep losing sea ice at record breaking rates. Snowpack in the Himalaya mountain range is at an all time low. Patagonia and Greenland’s glaciers have been disappearing from unusually high temperatures. Despite these unparalleled events, decision-makers around the world keep ignoring the warning signs.

This issue of The Circle explores the challenges facing the Arctic and the entire cryosphere as well as the people working to protect our frozen regions.

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Stories from this issue

Editorial

When it comes to the cryosphere, let’s get real

In brief

News from the Arctic (2024.01)

The cyrosphere is melting. Ice melting around black particulate matter, which absorbs the sun's heat. Photo taken on the Greenland ice sheet.
A 1.5-degree guardrail for the cryosphere

Translating snow and ice science into policy

An exposed permafrost sediments and ice wedges at a bluff near the Itkillik River, northern Alaska.
Permafrost

The hidden glue holding northern landscapes together

Massive iceberg floating. in dark, cold water in low light.
A tale of two ice sheets

Warm winds and melting ice

Steering clear of overshoot pathways

Why half a degree matters so much

A glacier and terminal moraine at Tinayrebukta, Svalbard, Norway.
An ancient gas—and a big problem

Melting glaciers and methane emissions

The snow and ice in the Hindu Kush Himalaya mountains—a massive mountain range in central and south Asia.
People and nature on the brink

An SOS from Asia’s water towers

Students on an expedition ship observing sea ice.
Early career researchers

Shaping the frozen frontier

The back cover

Alaska’s Pedersen Glacier: Then and now

In the early 20th century, the Pedersen Glacier in Alaska’s Kenai Mountains was calving icebergs into a marginal lake near Aialik Bay. By 2005, the glacier had retreated so much that the lake had transformed into grassland. From 1984 to 2021, the Pedersen Glacier retreated by 3.2 kilometres.

© unknown

1920

© Bruce F. Molina

2005

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About The Circle magazine

Quarterly

WWF Arctic Programme publishes the magazine four times per year and each issue zeroes in on a theme and presents a range of stories.

Actions

It covers the key climate risks are for the Arctic—and what researchers and decision-makers in the eight Arctic nations are doing.

Perspectives

We aim to hear from contributors in a selection of Arctic countries—from youth to Indigenous communities to policymakers to scientists.

Themes

Stay informed about the environmental and development issues affecting wildlife, ecosystems and people in the Arctic today.