• This is why the scientists participating in the GLOCHAMORE project developed a research strategy encompassing such diverse areas as land-use changes, the cryosphere (permanent frozen landscapes, from the Greek word cryo meaning cold) and snow-covered areas, hydrological systems, grasslands and tundra areas, forests and aquatic ecosystems, wildlife, alien plant and animal species and natural hazards (floods, fires, landslides, etc), to name but a few.

• The cryosphere includes Antarctica, the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Northern Canada, Northern Siberia and most of the high mountain ranges throughout the world, where sub-zero temperatures persist throughout the year. Snow and ice, being white, reflect a lot of sunlight, instead of absorbing it.

• The cryosphere consists of those regions of Earth that are seasonally or perennially covered by snow and ice.