Sea ice research has reached a critical point in its development. In place of a geographical statistical trend there is now a geophysical approach. Whereas the main problem has been the explanation of the phenomena of sea ice in space and time, more and more attention is being devoted to the connexion between the state of the ice and the changing conditions in the water and the air.

These notes are based on observations made in 1953 on the nature and state of the glaciers in Bünsow Land while the writers were members of the Cambridge Spitsbergen (Physiological) Expedition. Changes in the glacierization of the area, since the compilation of W. B. Harland’s map in 1949, are indicated. These changes illustrate some of the ways in which the thinning and decay of the Spitsbergen glaciers have been brought about.

Observations and measurements of ogives on Morsárjökull, Svinafellsjökull and Falljökull are given and discussed. The problems associated with the smaller ogives on Svínafellsjökull and the ridges below the ice falls are considered.

The Grinnell and Terra Nivea Ice Caps are the southernmost in eastern North America. The Grinnell Ice Cap reaches an altitude of 870 m. (2854 ft.). The general tendency is for slight retreat, but one large glacier is advancing. The equilibrium line is considerably lower than on the Penny Ice Cap to the north. Both firn and superimposed ice are important in the economy.

During a winter in Terre Adélie in 1951 (Antarctica) certain glaciological studies were made. These were strongly hampered by the extraordinary strength and persistence of the blizzards from the ice cap. Near the coast the wind dominates the distribution of snow completely. The firn limit on the open ice cap is at a height of 450 m. (1500 ft.). The deposited snow is very tightly packed with a density of 0.4–0.5 gm./cm.3. On the ice cap the mean annual accumulation is 20–30 cm. water. At the coast and particularly on the ice cap measurements and calculations of the radiation balance show a strong loss for most of the time owing to the high albedo of the snow. The snow surface is almost continuously colder then the snow below and the air above. The radiation loss is mainly replaced by the influx of warmer air into the continent. The density of the drifting snow was measured. On a day with heavy blizzard the snow transport across each m. of the coast line is 2.5–3 kg. /m.sec. In a year at least 20 million tons pass each km. (30 million tons per mile). In Terre Adélie the drifting snow is an important item in the mass economy of the ice cap.

Four coordinated reports on recent trends in glacial activity in the State of Washington, U.S.A., have been prepared by three authors and three of these appear in this issue of the Journal of Glaciology. The fourth report will appear in a later number. Other reports regarding the condition of glaciers in this state and in other regions of the western United States have appeared in various mountaineering journals. It is the purpose of this paper to serve as a reference to the bibliography in this field and show how the detailed story included in the companion papers is part of a widespread change in trend. Results reported by other observers are reviewed briefly. In addition, some data on observations by the author in the Sierra Nevada are included in order to compare the magnitude of the activity in California and Washington.

Between 1953 and 1955, 73 glaciers in the Olympic and Cascade Mountains of Washington State have been investigated to determine their present activity. 50 of these glaciers are now advancing at rates from 3 to 100 m. or more per annum. Of the remaining 23, 22 glaciers either demonstrate clear evidence of increasing thickness, or have remained so heavily snow-covered at the end of the ablation season that it has not been possible to locate their limits.

The present glacier growth, which appears to have started about 12 years ago, represents a radical change from conditions during the previous 20 years when glaciers of the Olympics and Cascades without exception were shrinking rapidly. An analysis of local climatic data demonstrates a present trend toward a cooler, wetter climate in western Washington. The ten year running mean annual temperature at Tatoosh Island off the Washington coast has decreased approximately o 8° C. from the period 1934–1943 to the period 1945–1954. In the same interval of time the ten year running mean annual precipitation at Tatoosh has increased about 38 cm., and during the last decade has reached its highest value since the period 1898–1907.