Spanning more than three centuries of exploration, the Cornell University Library exhibition Rivers of Ice traces the evolving study of glaciers through rare books, illustrations, maps, and photographs. From eighteenth-century descriptions of Alpine and Icelandic snowfields to modern analytical techniques, items on view reveal how scientists, explorers, and photographers have studied glaciers to better understand Earth’s geological and climate history. Covering about 10 percent of Earth’s land and storing 70 percent of its fresh water, glaciers have become key indicators of climate change. Drawing from the library’s Rare and Manuscript Collections, the exhibition features photographs from James Balog’s Extreme Ice Survey (2007–2022), along with items from professor of geography and geology Ralph Stockman Tarr’s pioneering expeditions to Greenland and Alaska (1896–1911), highlighting Cornell University’s contributions to modern glaciology.

Rivers of Ice will be on view in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections’ Hirshland Exhibition Gallery through August 2027. Rivers of Ice is part of a series of exhibits titled From the Brink: Contributions to a Sustainable Future from across Cornell, hosted by unit libraries of Cornell University Library in partnership with departments and groups on campus.

This exhibition is funded through the generous support of the Stephen E. ’59 and Evalyn Edwards ’60 Milman Exhibition Fund and the Richard N. Sukenik Fund for Excellence in Photography in Cornell University Library.