Cryosphere: cry·o·sphere (noun); the frozen part of the Earth’s surface, including the polar ice caps, continental ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and permafrost.
The Laboratory for Cryospheric Research is dedicated to the monitoring and understanding of the frozen earth including glaciers, ice caps, ice shelves, icebergs and sea ice. The facility was opened in September 2007 with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Research Fund and University of Ottawa. Laboratory members are undertaking research across northern Canada, including monitoring glacier changes in Kluane National Park, examining ice shelf and sea ice interactions along northern Ellesmere Island, and measuring glacier and ice cap dynamics across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The Laboratory for Cryospheric Research is based in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Ottawa, and directed by Dr. Luke Copland.