Under the guidance of the International Commission for Snow and Ice (ICSI), this multi-authored document summarizes the achievements in snow and ice research during the 1987-1991 ICSI Bureau session. The subjects covered by the document are as follows: New data on global snow and ice resources; Global changes over the latest climate cycle according to ice core data; Mass balance of Antarctica and sea level change; The problem of surge-type glaciers; Fluctuations of mountain glaciers; Specific features of snow and ice regime under the conditions of Central Asia; The role of snow and ice in natural processes on local, regional and global scale; The future of glaciers under the expected climate warming; and Task for future glaciological research. This comprehensive piece of work is of special interest to hydrologists, climatologists, glaciologists, geographers and geophysicists.