“The Cryosphere is often referred to as a ‘natural thermometer’. But as our understanding of the complexity of this response has grown, it is increasingly clear that elements of the cryosphere should rather be considered as a ‘natural climate-meter’, responsive not only to temperature but also to other climate variables (eg, precipitation).”“However, it remains the case that the conspicuous and widespread nature of changes in the cryosphere (in particular, sea ice, glaciers and ice sheets) means these changes are frequently used emblems of the impact of changing climate. It is thus imperative that we understand the context of current change within the framework of past changes and natural variability.”