The cryosphere, derived from the Greek word kryo for "cold" or "too cold", is the term which collectively describes the portions of the Earth?s surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground (which includes permafrost). The cryosphere is an integral part of the global climate system with important linkages and feedbacks generated through its influence on surface energy and moisture fluxes, clouds, precipitation, hydrology, and atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Through these feedback processes, the cryosphere plays a significant role in global climate and in climate model response to global change. [LINK: [Image:Cryosphere.png|thumb|right|Overview] of the Cryosphere and its larger components, from the [http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/cryosphere UN Environment Programme Global Outlook for Ice and Snow.]]

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