ABSTRACT
Changes in mass and temperature of glacier and permafrost ice are results of changes in the mass and energy balance at the earth’s surface. Rates and ranges of such glacier and permafrost changes can be determined quantitatively over various time intervals and expressed as corresponding energy fluxes. This permits direct comparison with estimated effects of anthropogenic greenhouse forcing. Glacier and permafrost changes are thus linked to changing atmospheric conditions via important filter, memory and enhancement functions. As a consequence, they are among the clearest signals evident in nature of ongoing warming trends and potential acceleration tendencies related to the enhanced greenhouse effect (Haeberli, 1990; WGMS, 1993; Wood, 1990).
