Search results for "Cryosphere"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Summarizing the state of the terrestrial biosphere in few dimensions
2020
Abstract. In times of global change, we must closely monitor the state of the planet in order to understand the full complexity of these changes. In fact, each of the Earth's subsystems – i.e., the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere – can be analyzed from a multitude of data streams. However, since it is very hard to jointly interpret multiple monitoring data streams in parallel, one often aims for some summarizing indicator. Climate indices, for example, summarize the state of atmospheric circulation in a region. Although such approaches are also used in other fields of science, they are rarely used to describe land surface dynamics. Here, we propose a robust method to crea…
Climate change and the ecology and evolution of Arctic vertebrates
2012
Climate change is taking place more rapidly and severely in the Arctic than anywhere on the globe, exposing Arctic vertebrates to a host of impacts. Changes in the cryosphere dominate the physical changes that already affect these animals, but increasing air temperatures, changes in precipitation, and ocean acidification will also affect Arctic ecosystems in the future. Adaptation via natural selection is problematic in such a rapidly changing environment. Adjustment via phenotypic plasticity is therefore likely to dominate Arctic vertebrate responses in the short term, and many such adjustments have already been documented. Changes in phenology and range will occur for most species but wil…
Heating glaciers from below
2013
Climate change is affecting the cryosphere from above. Geothermal heat flux from below is also contributing to conditions at the base of Greenland's ice sheet, which sits atop a lithosphere of variable thickness.
Sea ice extent and seasonality for the Early Pliocene northern Weddell Sea
2010
Abstract Growth increment analysis coupled with stable isotopic data ( δ 18 O/ δ 13 C) from Early Pliocene (ca 4.7 Ma) Austrochlamys anderssoni from shallow marine sediments of the Cockburn Island Formation, northern Antarctic Peninsula, suggest these bivalves grew through much of the year, even during the coldest parts of winter recorded in the shells. The high frequency fluctuation in growth increment width of A. anderssoni appears to reflect periodic, but year-round, agitation of the water column enhancing benthic food supply from organic detritus. This suggests that Austrochlamys favoured waters that were largely sea ice free. Our data support interpretation of the Cockburn Island Forma…
ESA's sentinel missions in support of Earth system science
2012
Abstract The spatial and temporal characteristics of the new Sentinel missions, primarily designed to provide routine multidisciplinary observations for operational services, are also very suitable for addressing some of the challenges associated with advancing Earth System sciences. The Sentinels are ensuring long-term observational commitment and will operate a range of instruments with different spectral bands and spatial resolutions with global coverage and high revisit times. The complexity of Earth System models has been increasing gradually and most simulations of future climate and Earth system evolution are based on coupled models that include aspects of physics, bio/geo-chemistry,…
Long-term changes in hydrological regime of the lakes in Latvia
2013
Changes in the hydrological regime of the lakes of Latvia depend on natural and anthropogenic causes. This publication summarises the results of the research on the long-term changes in the water level, thermal and ice regimes in the seven largest lakes of Latvia: Liepājas, Usma, Ķīšezers, Burtnieks, Rāzna, Sventes and Lielais Ludzas, and their regional specifics from 1926 to 2002. For most of the studied lakes, the water level has been regulated, except for the lakes Liepājas, Burtnieks and Ķīšezers. Global climate warming has caused considerable changes in the hydrological regime of the lakes during the last decades and the surface water temperature has increased. At the same time, the nu…
Witnessing and measuring the impacts of cryosphere changes in the High Arctic
2016
International audience
Monitoring Water and Energy Cycles at Climate Scale in the Third Pole Environment (CLIMATE-TPE)
2021
A better understanding of the water and energy cycles at climate scale in the Third Pole Environment is essential for assessing and understanding the causes of changes in the cryosphere and hydrosphere in relation to changes of plateau atmosphere in the Asian monsoon system and for predicting the possible changes in water resources in South and East Asia. This paper reports the following results: (1) A platform of in situ observation stations is briefly described for quantifying the interactions in hydrosphere-pedosphere-atmosphere-cryosphere-biosphere over the Tibetan Plateau. (2) A multiyear in situ L-Band microwave radiometry of land surface processes is used to develop a new microwave r…
Recent Change—River Run-off and Ice Cover
2015
This chapter compiles and assesses information on run-off and discharge from rivers within the Baltic Sea drainage basin. Some information is also available on ice duration on inland waterways. Although decadal and regional variability is large, no significant long-term change has been detected in total river run-off to the Baltic Sea over the past 500 years. A change in the timing of the spring flood has been observed due to changes in the timing of snowmelt . Change in temperature seems to explain change in run-off better than does precipitation. Later start dates for ice formation on waterways, and earlier ice break-up dates have resulted in shorter periods of ice cover.
Recent Change—Terrestrial Cryosphere
2015
This chapter compiles and assesses information on recent and current change within the terrestrial cryosphere of the Baltic Sea drainage basin. Findings are based on long-term observations. Snow cover extent (SCE), duration and amount have shown a widespread decrease although there is large interannual and regional variation. Few data are available on changes in snow structural properties. There is no evidence for a recent change in the frequency or severity of snow-related extreme events. There has been a decrease in glacier coverage in Sweden and glacier ice thickness in inland Scandinavia. The European permafrost is warming, and there has been a northward retreat of the southern boundary…