The cryosphere is the common term for those areas of the Earth where the water is in the solid form. That is sea and freshwater ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, permafrost and ice caps. The direct impact of the cryosphere on society and industry in the Nordic region and the geographical proximity of the Nordic region to the Arctic as well as the long historical connection to this area, make the Nordic countries especially suitable for accomplishing joint research programmes within this topic.
The knowledge produced by such a research programme is relevant not only for the Nordic region, but also in a global perspective. The climate changes are experienced early and most intensively in the polar regions, and provide an early indication of the impact of global warming on the environment and society.
Some objectives of the sub-programme are to reinforce Arctic research cooperation in the Nordic region and internationally, to improve modelling of the climate change interactions with the cryosphere, and provide results for infrastructure risk assessments and possibilities.
The budget for this sub-programme is approximately 100 MNOK.