A scoping review of the Cryosphere’s ecosystem services, disservices, and related indicators

Abstract

The cryosphere, which refers to the parts of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, is a major contributor to human wellbeing through the provision of vital ecosystem services. These include, e.g., groundwater recharge, water storage and purification, climate regulation, and diverse cultural and spiritual benefits. A systematized classification of ecosystem services can be used to define, measure, and value the ways in which the cryosphere contributes to society and to communicate these benefits in a clear, transparent and scientifically sound way, yet, it has been missing to date. This study builds on previous literature exploring the cryosphere’s positive and negative impacts on human wellbeing in the context of rapid climate change. It further organises this knowledge on a global scale with a view to enhancing scientific exploration and policy guidance, along with facilitating comparability between different studies. Our research applies the Search-Appraisal-Synthesis-Analysis (SALSA) literature review method and the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) to source and systemise the existing information on ecosystem services and disservices provided by the cryosphere, and possible indicators for monitoring their changes are identified. A total of 30 ecosystem services and 10 disservices were identified, together with indicators that could be used to monitor their trends in biophysical, economic, and sociocultural terms. Our research finds that the cryosphere continues to provide vital ecosystem services despite accelerated retreat of glaciers and other cryospheric components, but also an increasing amount of ecosystem disservices because of global climate change. Monitoring trends in the cryosphere’s contributions to human wellbeing has the potential to inform adaptive governance in fast-changing cryospheric environments.