Nature Climate Change, 2 August 2022 Mid-depth water temperatures around East Antarctica have risen by nearly 2°C over the past century, with the strongest warming occurring near glaciers whose ice shelves are retreating most rapidly. Rising temperatures shift westerly winds closer to the poles and strengthen the flow of warm water underneath floating ice shelves. […]
Nature, 10 August 2022 This study provides the first comprehensive map of iceberg “calving” across Antarctica; and doubles previous estimates of ice loss due to ice shelf retreat, which has released more than 12 trillion metric tons of ice over the past three decades. Iceberg calving occurs when large sections of ice shelves fracture and […]
The Cryosphere, 17 August 2022 Bringing together observational research with local indigenous knowledge, this study identifies three interlocking factors that control snow accumulation in the Alaskan Arctic: elevation, vegetation, and terrain. Snow is commonly found at high elevations in areas with low temperatures and high precipitation. Tall shrubs and other plants provide an essential protective […]
The Cryosphere, 22 August 2022 The 1400 Swiss glaciers have lost half their total ice volume during just the past eighty years. This retreat is accelerating, with an additional 1/8 of ice lost from 2016-2021. This study provides a first-ever reconstruction of ice loss in Switzerland throughout the 20th century, by comparing tens of thousands […]
The IPCC has made it clear that 50% emissions reductions must occur globally by 2030 to remain close to 1.5°C of warming; and prevent cascading and irreversible damage, on a planetary scale, from the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the cryosphere. As the above papers make clear, overshoot of the 1.5°C limit cannot be […]
Communications Earth & Environment, 11 August 2022 Climate models typically estimate that the Arctic is warming 2.5 times faster than the global average, but decades of observational records now suggest that the true rate of “Arctic amplification” is nearly double these estimations. The Arctic warms faster than any other region on Earth due to Arctic […]
Nature, 10 August 2022 Under a high-emissions scenario, ice loss could accelerate across the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and generate several meters of sea-level rise within just a few centuries; but this substantial loss could be avoided if temperatures remain within the “well below 2°C” limit of the Paris Agreement. This comprehensive review study found […]
Arctic and Mountain indigenous peoples have intimate knowledge of the regions in which they live and the ongoing impacts of climate change; but rarely are included in published research. This session proposes ways in which this gap can be addressed, and features the world premiere of a documentary on the connection between indigenous knowledge and […]
News Briefing: 19 July 2022 Over the past decade, dozens of major high-mountain slopes around the world have partially collapsed due to accelerated ice loss, with major landslides occurring more frequently. In Alaska, unusually warm summers have triggered intense glacier melt, destabilizing sediments on rocky slopes that escalated into debris flows and tsunamis that hit […]
Science Advances, 27 July 2022 Several decades ago, an extended period with abnormally few “controlled burning” fires in the United States — resulting in greater wildfires — accelerated sea ice loss in the Arctic, unveiling a new dimension to the interconnected relationship between wildfires and sea ice. Controlled burning, the setting of planned fires to […]
On Tuesday, August 9 at 13:00 Central European time (CEST) and Wednesday, August 10 at 1PM Eastern Time (EDT), ICCI will host an informational webinar on cryosphere-related efforts within the UNFCCC processes including COP27; and provide information about the COP27 Cryosphere Pavilion, potential side events and our Early Career Scientist volunteer program. Presentations will be […]
Surface temperatures in the Arctic are more than three times higher than the global average. The communities, ecosystems, and species living in this region already experience accelerating impacts from climate change, especially those associated with extreme events. This session from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), a working group of the Arctic Council amplifies […]
News Briefing: 20 July 2022 Temperatures in northern Greenland are running 5-7°C (10°F) warmer than normal for this time of year; and last week, three consecutive days of extremely high temperatures triggered rapid melting in this region, which normally stays below freezing even in much of the summer. Between July 15 and 17, the Greenland […]
Nature Communications, 21 July 2022 Under a high-emissions scenario, ice loss driven by the absorption of heat from the sun could increase by one third across the Greenland Ice Sheet before the end of the century. Clouds act as a shield; they help prevent shortwave and longwave radiation reaching the ground. As global temperatures rise, […]
Springer Science: Landslides, 23 July 2022 Permafrost also exists on Greenland; and rising global temperatures have accelerated its thaw, increasing the vulnerability of coastal mountain regions to unpredictable landslides and collapse. The melting of this frozen ground can open deep fractures in rocky cliffs. These expanding fractures allow rainfall and snowmelt to trickle into the […]