The cryosphere includes important elements of the earth system like sea ice, lake and river ice, snow cover, solid precipitation, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, per¬ mafrost and seasonally frozen ground. Changes of the cryospheric elements influence energy, moisture, gas and particle fluxes, clouds, precipitation, hydrological conditions and circulation patterns in the atmosphere and the ocean. With current interest in the impact of cli¬ mate change, the limelight has also settled on the cryo¬ sphere due to the strong visibility of changes in nature here, even for non scientists Haeberli 2008). Changes observed in our climate affect the cryosphere on differ¬ ent scales Global Climate Observing System GCOS/ Global Terrestrial Observing System GTOS 2004; Key et al. 2007; Solomon et al. 2007). On a global scale, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets are increasingly contrib¬ uting towards sea level rise and are therefore threaten¬ ing many heavily populated regions close to seashores. On a local to supraregional scale, the current retreat of mountain glaciers influences sustainable agriculture and energy production; and locally, mountain permafrost is affecting slope stability Organe consultatif sur les changements climatiques OcCC/ ProClim 2007).