= Cryosphere
The <cryosphere> comprises the frozen-water components of the Earth system: <snow>, <glaciers>, <ice sheets>, <sea ice>, frozen ground and other persistent or seasonal ice. These components differ physically. Floating <sea ice> directly exchanges <heat> and salt with the ocean, whereas grounded ice can store water above sea level.
Melting consumes <latent heat>, while <snow> and ice can strongly affect the reflected fraction of incoming sunlight through <albedo>. Measurements therefore combine area, thickness, <mass> and <temperature> rather than using ice-covered area as a complete measure of stored ice. A change in one component need not imply an identical response in every other component.
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