Cryospheric changes and their impacts have received increasing concern, extending the research to include the interactions between earth spheres and the impacts of and social adaptation to cryospheric changes. As a result, Cryospheric Science is rapidly developing. However, the research framework of Cryospheric Science has not completely been set up, and the intension and extension of Cryospheric Science are unclear. Following a literature review, the research framework for Cryospheric Science and the discipline components are analysed in this paper. We consider that Cryospheric Science is an inevitable product of international research on the earth and environmental changes as well as on human sustainable development. It will not only strengthen the linkage between the cryosphere and other earth spheres by deepening traditional research areas, but will also bring more focus on the critical roles of the cryosphere in interactions between earth spheres, and will enhance the relationship between cryospheric change and climate, ecology, hydrology, surface environment and sustainable development. The disciplinary tree of Cryospheric Science is developed following the mainstream of change-impacts adaptation. The disciplines of Cryospheric Science were teased out against characteristics of traditional branches and the developing interdisciplinary branches of cryosphere elements, which will provide reference to Cryospheric Science as it systematically grows to maturity.

Knowledge of present-day ice temperature and velocity is important in order to determine how fast a glacier will respond to present and future climate change. We apply a two-dimensional higher-order thermomechanical flowband model to simulate present-day ice temperature and velocity along the main flowline of East Rongbuk Glacier, Qomolangma (Mount Everest), Himalaya. We use recent (2005–11) observational data to validate the numerical model. Modelled and observed ice surface velocities exhibit good agreement. Modelled ice temperatures agree well with observed values in two shallow boreholes that are ∼18 m deep. The model suggests that the ablation zone of East Rongbuk Glacier, km 4 to km 10 from the glacier head, is underlain by temperate ice.

During approximately the past five decades, changes in snow cover, mountain glaciers, frozen ground (including permafrost), sea ice and river ice have been observed in China. However, most data were published in Chinese and thus unknown to the international communities. Here we review these published results to show an overview of cryospheric changes in China for the last ~50 years. Long-term variability of snow cover over the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau (QXP) is characterized by large interannual variability superimposed on a continuously increasing trend. Glacier changes in western China vary remarkably in different regions. Although in most mountains the glaciers display a retreating trend (~80%) or have even vanished, some glaciers (~20%) are still advancing. Frozen ground (including permafrost) has experienced a rapid decay since the 1980s, and these changes are occurring both in the QXP and in the cold regions of north China. Sea-ice areas in the Bohai and north Yellow Seas have been shrinking since the 1970s. Interannual variations possibly relate to the solar cyles, and sea-ice extent extremes relate to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The freeze-up and break-up dates of river ice in north China in the 1990s are, on average, 1–6 days later and 1–3 days earlier, respectively, than the 1950s–1990 mean. Frozen duration and the maximum thickness of river ice are, respectively, 4–10 days shorter and 0.06–0.21cm thinner in the 1990s than the average.

The performance evaluation of satellite-based precipitation products at local and regional scales is crucial for modification in satellite-based precipitation retrieval algorithms, as well as for the provision of guidance during the selection of substitute precipitation data. This study evaluated the performances of three Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) products (3B42V6, 3B42RT and 3B42V7) with a reference to rain gauge observations in the Hunza River basin, northern Pakistan. Multi-spatial (pixel and basin) and temporal (daily, monthly, seasonal and annual) resolutions were considered for performance evaluation of TMPA products. Results revealed that the spatial pattern of observed precipitation over the basin was adequately captured by 3B42V7 but misplaced by 3B42V6 and 3B42RT. All TMPA products were unable to capture the intense precipitation events. On the daily time scale, the performance of TMPA products was very poor over both spatial scales. 3B42V6 underestimated the precipitation (31.25% and 44.27% on pixel and basin scales, respectively). By contrast, 3B42RT significantly overestimated the precipitation (47.91% and 38.62% on pixel and basin scales, respectively), while 3B42V7 showed overestimation (17.30%) on pixel scale and slight underestimation (6.24%) on the basin scale. On the seasonal scale, TMPA products showed significant biases with observed precipitation data. We found that the TMPA products performed relatively better on monthly and annual time scales and overall performance of 3B42V7 product was better than that of 3B42V6 and 3B42RT. The bias in 3B42V7 was improved by 85.90% compared with 3B42V6 and by 116.16% compared with 3B42RT. Thus, it is concluded that the TMPA products were unreliable to capture the intense precipitation events and retain high errors on daily and seasonal scales. Therefore, caution should be considered while using these precipitation estimates as a substitute data in hydrology, meteorology and climatology studies in Hunza River basin. However, due to the reasonable performance of monthly and annual 3B42V7 estimates, these can be used as an acceptable substitute for applications in the region.

Re-assessment of recent (2008 - 2013) surface mass balance over Dome Argus, Antarctica

The stable oxygen isotope composition, major ions and isotopic compositions of strontium (Sr), neodymium (Nd) and lead (Pb) in insoluble dust from recent surface snow samples along the transect from the Zhongshan and Progress stations (located on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica) to Dome A (Summit, Antarctica) were analysed. No previous isotopic fingerprinting studies have been conducted for this transect. These data were used to document the dust provenances in Antarctica along the transect up to the highest site, Dome A, for the first time. The insoluble dust in snow samples along the coast displays an overall crust-line isotopic signature that is characterised by highly radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values and less radiogenic ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd values. These signatures are comparable with those of samples collected near the ice-free areas of the Zhongshan and Progress stations. Spatial differences are statistically significant along the transect, and the Sr, Nd and Pb isotope components in insoluble dust from two continuous snow samples at Dome A exhibit marked differences, indicating that additional dust reaches the East Antarctic Plateau. The isotopic characteristics of insoluble dust from this transect indicate that the long-distance natural dust and anthropogenic pollutants in these samples primarily originate from Australia.