Revision summary
Snow and sea ice raise planetary albedo and keep the energy budget cooler. Loss of ice darkens the surface and adds a warming feedback. Ice sheets control sea level; glaciers control seasonal river water. Freshwater input can alter ocean circulation. Permafrost thaw can release greenhouse gases and extend the warming.
Model answer
Flow diagram
flowchart TD CR[Cryosphere] --> A[High albedo] CR --> SL[Ice sheets sea level] CR --> C[Permafrost carbon] A --> G[Global climate] SL --> G C --> G
Conclusion
- Treat the cryosphere as both a thermometer and an engine: it records warming and it drives further warming through albedo and carbon.
- Link polar ice, Himalayan snow, and permafrost in one answer so global climate is not reduced to Arctic sea ice alone.
The cryosphere cools the planet by reflecting light, stores carbon in frozen ground, and sets the long-term water level of the oceans. As it shrinks, those controls weaken, so global climate becomes warmer, wetter in some belts, and more unstable at the coasts.
Quick related
Students also ask
-
In the context of the diversity of India, can it be said that the regions form cultural units rather than the States? Give reasons with examples for your view point.
Next question in the 2017 paper (Q9). View answer →
-
Does melting sea ice raise sea level?
Floating sea ice already displaces water. Its melt does not raise global sea level the way land ice sheets do.
-
Is the cryosphere only at the poles?
No. High mountains, seasonal snow, and permafrost at high latitudes and altitudes are all part of it.
PYQ trend
When UPSC asked this
Related PYQs from other years, newest first. Open a question to read it.
-
2021 · Q4 · GS I · 10 marks
Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. -
2021 · Q7 · GS I · 10 marks
Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on regional environment. -
2020 · Q5 · GS I · 10 marks
The process of desertification does not have climate boundaries. Justify with examples. -
2020 · Q14 · GS I · 15 marks
The interlinking of revivers can provide viable solutions to the multi-dimensional inter-related problems of droughts, floods and interrupted navigation. Critically examine. -
2016 · Q14 · GS I · 12 marks
"The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides."Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation. -
2016 · Q17 · GS I · 12 marks
Major cities of India are becoming vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss. -
2015 · Q14 · GS I · 12 marks
Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence regional climates, fishing and navigation? -
2015 · Q18 · GS I · 12 marks
How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscape? Discuss.
More from this paper
Q1 · UPSC Mains 2017 · GS I · 10 marks
How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not at all noticeable in later times?
Indian Heritage and Culture
Gupta gold showed the king as archer, lyrist, or horseman with Lakshmi or ritual reverses and Brahmi verse. Metal was relatively pure and the die work was sculptural. Post-Gupta and early medieval coins often debased metal and used stiff stock types. Sultanate and Mughal art followed another visual language. The claim holds for Gupta-style numismatic art, not for all later mint skill.
Q2 · UPSC Mains 2017 · GS I · 10 marks
Clarify how mid-eighteenth century India was beset with the spectre of a fragmented polity.
World's Physical Geography
After 1707 the Mughal emperor lost the capacity to rule provinces in fact. Nadir Shah and Abdali exposed Delhi’s military hollowness. Bengal, Awadh, Hyderabad, Marathas, Sikhs, and Mysore became separate armed powers. Panipat 1761 showed even the Marathas were not a single state. Company victories in the Carnatic and Bengal fitted into this broken order.
Q3 · UPSC Mains 2017 · GS I · 10 marks
Why did the 'Moderates' failed to carry conviction with the nation about their proclaimed ideology and political goals by the end of the nineteenth century?
The Freedom Struggle
Moderate goals were council seats, ICS, and drain critique, not immediate independence. Methods were petitions and annual sessions that missed peasant and mill-hand life. The social base was presidency professionals speaking English public language. 1892 reforms were too small to prove the method worked. By the century’s end a hotter nationalist mood found them unconvincing.
Toppers' copies
Toppers' copies for this question will be uploaded soon.