The Symposium on Snow and Ice Processes at the Earth’s Surface was organized by the International Glaciological Society, co-sponsored by the Japanese Society for Snow and Ice (JSSI), and hosted by the Institute of Low Temperature Science and the Hokkadio Branch of JSSI. It was held in Sapporo at the Hokkaido Koseinenkin Kaikan from 2 to 7 September 1984. There were 186 registered participants, two-thirds Japanese and one-third from overseas. The local interest in the meeting was a fair measure of the healthy state of glaciology in Japan and the loyalty of the Society’s far-flung membership.

The Organizing Committee consisted of K Kusunoki, S Kinosita, A Higashi, K. Higuchi, H Richardson, T Shidei, and G Wakahama. JSSI sought and found financial support for the meeting and for publishing the proceedings not only from their own institutions but also from industrial interests. Members of the Committee and many of their friends, relatives, and students helped with registration and generously provided guidance and hospitality to overseas members and accompanying persons. A banquet on 6 September was made memorable not only by good food and rare music but also by a magnificent ice sculpture featuring giant ice crystals, penguins, and the symposium symbol.

The Papers Committee consisted of R L Brown, H Gubler, A Higashi, K Lied, and W Ambach. The Papers Committee selected papers on the basis of summaries submitted in 1983 and the members later served as Scientific Editors. All manuscripts were refereed and those eligible for publication appear in this volume. Volume 6 of the Annals of Glaciology contains 92 papers, together with abstracts of papers presented at the symposium but not published.

The editors of the volume have asked me to thank those people who acted as referees. Their helpful comments have contributed to its speedy publication. It falls to me to thank the editors for their vital contribution to the final results. The quality of the Society’s publications rests chiefly in the hands of authors but we rely on referees and editors to provide an independent system of checks and balances. Their combined efforts for this volume yielded some important contributions to knowledge covering an unusually wide field.