Cryosphere Courses and Certifications

National Geographic Polar Explorations

45 ratings at The Great Courses Plus

Travel to the polar regions on an exquisite visual journey guided by five Arctic and Antarctic experts who reveal the science, culture, and history of these majestic locations.

• The Great Courses Plus
• 11 hours 9 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Trial Available

Understanding the Arctic - Climate and the Need for Environmental Protection

An interdisciplinary exploration of Arctic climate, environmental threats, governance, Indigenous rights, and India’s role in polar cooperation.

• Swayam
• 15 weeks
• Available until Oct 30, 2026
• Free Online Course

Ice in the Climate System - Types and Formation

Explore how sea ice, ice sheets, ice shelves, icebergs, and mountain glaciers function within the climate system.

• YouTube
• 47 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

GEO GIRL

Everything You Could Ever Want to Know About Ice - GEO GIRL

Explore why water ice floats, how its 19+ crystal phases differ, and how snow, hail, sleet, and other atmospheric ice forms.

• YouTube
• 25 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Australian Water School

State and Fate of Hindu Kush Himalaya Water Resources - Climate Change Impacts on Cryosphere

1 rating

A look at how climate-driven changes in the Hindu Kush Himalaya cryosphere may reshape water availability across the region.

• YouTube
• 1 hour
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Climate and Environmental Protection

8 ratings

Explore how Arctic ecosystems, climate mechanisms, biodiversity, and biogeochemical cycles shape global climate change.

• Swayam
• 15 weeks
• Available until Oct 30, 2026
• Free Online Course

Introduction to the Arctic: Climate

521 ratings at Coursera

Explore why the circumpolar North is cold and ice-covered: atmospheric and ocean circulation, sea ice, glaciers, permafrost, and the implications of present-day Arctic climate change.

• Coursera
• 4 weeks, 2 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Free Online Course

Frozen in the Ice: Exploring the Arctic

20 ratings at Coursera

Explore the Arctic through the MOSAiC drifting expedition: atmospheric energy budget, ocean circulation, sea ice formation, polar ecosystems, and how field data sharpens climate model projections.

• Coursera
• 7 weeks, 2 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Climate Change and Water in Mountains: A Global Concern

330 ratings at Coursera

Explore how climate change alters mountain water resources: glacier retreat and mass balance, snow cover trends, impacts on hydropower and agriculture, adaptation strategies, and glacial lake outburst floods.

• Coursera
• 6 weeks, 3 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Career Certificate

Arctic Meltdown

56 ratings at Coursera

Explore the Arctic's physical geography — sea ice, the Greenland Ice Sheet, permafrost, snow cover — then trace its rapid changes, ecosystem impacts, and rising geopolitical stakes.

• Coursera
• 4 weeks, 10 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course
• 3 courses

Intro to the Arctic

39 ratings at Coursera

Explore the Arctic as a region: its peoples and exploration history, sea ice and ocean structure, permafrost, the Greenland Ice Sheet, and changing weather and climate.

• Coursera
• 5 weeks, 1 hour a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Polar Peril

15 ratings at Coursera

Examine rapid Arctic change: Arctic amplification, shrinking sea ice, Greenland ice sheet mass loss, thawing permafrost, paleoclimate evidence, and model projections of the future Arctic.

• Coursera
• 5 weeks, 1 hour a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Modelling Ice Sheets - Oxford Mathematics Research Seminar

5 ratings

A mathematical modeling seminar on how ice flows and equations represent the evolution of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

• YouTube
• 58 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Environment: understanding atmospheric and ocean flows

12 ratings at OpenLearn

What affects the atmospheric and ocean flows? This free course, Environment: understanding atmospheric and ocean flows, explores the mechanisms that are important; the most rapid carrier is the ...

• OpenLearn
• 10 hours
• Self-Paced
• Free Certificate

Sensing Planet Earth – Water and Ice

1 rating

Where do we find water on our planet? Should we worry about rising sea levels? Can we predict climate change? Learn how to measure and monitor the Earth’s water and ice masses.

• edX
• 6 weeks, 4-6 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)