Professor Slaymaker's research has four foci: mountain hydrogeomorphology, land use impacts, sustainable development and global environmental change. From 1994-2002 he was a Governor of the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa. Professor Kelly's research focuses on the use of measurements from remote sensing ground, aircraft and satellite instruments coupled with environmental models to better understand the cryosphere, especially snow and ice environments. He is also interested in the development of new technologies for improved direct in situ and remote sensing measurements of the cryosphere.

"An interesting book with some new and fresh perspectives from which to view cryospheric change. There are seven well-illustrated chapters in total.... The book is very well written, well illustrated and contains a valuable synthesis of cryospheric change in some of the dominant regions of the global cryosphere." (Area, March 2009) “The major concepts, illustrated, are clear and accessible even for the non-specialist…the coverage and synthesis work well and are quite informative.”(Choice)

• Preface. 1. The Evidence for Cryospheric Change.2. The Monitoring of Cryospheric Change.3. Processes of Cryospheric Change.4. Patterns of the Contemporary Cryosphere at Local to Global Scales.5. The Evidence for Past Cryospheric Changes.6. The Transience of the Cryosphere and Transitional Landscapes.7. Cryospheric Change and Vulnerability at Quaternary, Holocene, and Anthropocene Timescales.References.Index