This atlas sets out to characterize several hundred phenomena that are associated with glaciers, both past and present. Given the current widespread attention to retreating glaciers worldwide, this is a timely compilation. A brief introduction precedes the alphabetic description of innumerable glacier features. It contains tables listing terms that are associated with glacier types and distribution, glaciers in Earth history, climatic change, glacier dynamics, glacier hydrology, glacial erosion, glacial deposition, and glacial landscapes.

Michael Hambrey was until recently Professor of Glaciology and Director of the Centre for Glaciology at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, U.K., and Jürg Alean was a geography teacher at the Kantonschule in Bülach, Switzerland. They previously coauthored a well-received text, Glaciers, published in 1995.

The alphabetic entries begin with Ablation and Abrasion and continue to Zone of traction. They include processes and their outcome such as mass balance rather than being strictly limited to glacial phenomena. There are about 680 entries in all. Most are brief—a half page entry—but are accompanied by a photograph or two, and sometimes a diagram. The color images are for the most part clearly reproduced. A few entries (e.g., ice core) seem rather brief. Somewhat surprisingly, ice sheet is not included, yet ice shelf and ice stream are, as well as icing (aufeis) and permafrost, which are not glacial phenomena.

The book will be a valuable reference source for glaciologists, geographers, geologists, and their students, ensuring that terms are correctly used in this expanding field. It is recommended for academics and libraries.