The High-Mountain Cryosphere: Environmental Changes and Human Risks

This edited volume, showcasing cutting-edge research, addresses two primary questions - what are the main drivers of change in high-mountains and what are the risks implied by these changes? From a physical perspective, it examines the complex interplay between climate and the high-mountain cryosphere, with further chapters covering tectonics, volcano-ice interactions, hydrology, slope stability, erosion, ecosystems, and glacier- and snow-related hazards. Societal dimensions, both global and local, of high-mountain cryospheric change are also explored. The book offers unique perspectives on high-mountain cultures, livelihoods, governance and natural resources management, focusing on how global change influences societies and how people respond to climate-induced cryospheric changes. An invaluable reference for researchers and professionals in cryospheric science, geomorphology, climatology, environmental studies and human geography, this volume will also be of interest to practitioners working in global change and risk, including NGOs and policy advisors.

Christian Huggel is a Senior Researcher at the Department of Geography, University of Zurich. He has worked in mountain regions and the cryosphere worldwide, including the European Alps, the Andes, Mexico, Alaska, the Caucasus and the Himalayas. Currently he leads several projects on climate impacts and adaptation in the tropical Andes, in particular Peru, the Indian Himalayas and the Alps, in collaboration with the Swiss and national governments. He is a Lead Author of the IPCC Working Group II 5th Assessment Report and has been a science advisor and member of the Swiss delegation at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP).

Mark Carey is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of History in the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon. His book, In the Shadow of Melting Glaciers: Climate Change and Andean Society (2010), won the Elinor Melville Prize for the best book in Latin American environmental history, awarded by the American Historical Association's Conference on Latin American History. He is a co-founder and co-director of the Transdisciplinary Andean Research Network (TARN) that involves collaborative research with colleagues in the US, Canada and South America.

John J. Clague is Shrum Professor of Science at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, and is currently the Canada Research Chair in Natural Hazard Research and Director of the Centre for Natural Hazard Research. His research interests include glacial geology, geomorphology, stratigraphy, sedimentology and natural hazards, and he has consulted for several private-sector firms and government agencies. His other principle professional interest is improving public awareness of Earth science to students, teachers and the general public. Clague is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, former President of the Geological Association of Canada and recipient of the Geological Society of America Burwell Award.

Andreas Kääb is Professor for Remote Sensing at the Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo. His main research focus is on remote sensing of the cryosphere, in particular glaciers, permafrost, river ice and related natural hazards in a changing world. He was chair of the Standing Group on Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in Mountains (GAPHAZ) of the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) and of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) for ten years. Kääb is currently running a number of projects related to observing glaciers and natural hazards from space. In 2008 he was awarded the prize for 'Excellence in Permafrost Research' by the International Permafrost Association.