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Definition:
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That part of the earth's crust, hydrosphere and atmosphere subject to temperatures below 0C for at least part of each year. The Cryosphere may be divided into the cryoatmosphere, the cryohydrosphere (Snow Cover, Glaciers, and river, lake and sea Ice) and the cryolithosphere (perennially and seasonally Cryotic Ground, Rock Glacier). Some authorities exclude the earth's atmosphere from the Cryosphere; others restrict the term Cryosphere to the regions of the earth's crust where Permafrost exists.
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