In our Cryosphere Capsules this week, we would like to highlight the importance of mountain glaciers and snow on communities across the world in celebration of International Mountains Day, December 11. The theme this year is “Women Move Mountains,” bringing a special focus to the key role women play in environmental protection and the social […]
Nature, 9 November 2022 The “ice stream” in Greenland’s largest drainage basin is shrinking and flowing much faster than previously anticipated, triggering rapid ice loss more than 200 kilometers inland. This region of fast-moving ice originates near the center of the ice sheet. Near the northeastern coast, the ice stream splits into two glaciers that […]
A warm welcome to everyone joining us for the first time after COP27! After daily updates from the Cryosphere Pavilion, this message marks the return of the “Cryosphere Capsules,” a weekly email that provides plain-language summaries for policy makers of the latest developments in cryosphere and climate science. In the Capsules, we will also feature […]
Welcome to this last “regular” Cryosphere Capsules edition prior to the beginning of COP27 this Sunday, November 6; and running through November 18. The Capsules actually began as a daily preview of the program for the next day’s events and livestreams from the COP25 Cryosphere Pavilion in Madrid, Spain in December 2019. For approximately the […]
Communications Earth & Environment, 13 October 2022 Limiting warming below 1.5°C instead of 2°C could reduce the costs of infrastructure damage from permafrost thaw in the Tibetan Plateau by $1.32 billion before the end of the century. Over the past several decades, the Tibetan Plateau has warmed two times faster than the global average, increasing […]
Quaternary Science Reviews, 5 October 2022 During the warm period at the end of the last ice age (20,000 years ago), a massive ice sheet over the North Sea melted fast enough to carve out enormous valleys in the ocean floor within several hundred years, much faster than previously thought. Ice sheets typically grow and […]
Released as an online-only event from the Geneva Hub, this session discusses the importance of revising water governance strategies to avoid conflicts of interest between various water-dependent economic actors. As temperatures rise and glaciers retreat across the world, many rivers originating in currently glaciated mountains will see major changes in the quantity and timing of […]
News Briefing: NSIDC Greenland Ice Sheet Today, September 2022 An early September heat wave swept across Greenland during the first week of September, causing a melt event unprecedented in the satellite record, with more than one-third of the ice sheet (600,000 square kilometers) experiencing surface melting. Such spikes in surface melt are primarily seen in […]
Science, 29 September 2022 Rapid loss of Arctic sea ice over the past three decades has accelerated the rate of long-term acidification in the Arctic Ocean, at rates three to four times those occurring in lower latitude oceans. When sea ice melts, it creates a layer of freshwater along the surface of the ocean that […]
Nature Geoscience, 3 October 2022 While it was previously thought that ocean temperatures were the primary cause of melting along the ocean-based edges of the Greenland ice Sheet, new research suggests that atmospheric warming is equally important in this underwater melting, through the effects of meltwater running off the surface. Rising air temperatures increase melting […]
Released as an online-only event from the Geneva Hub, this session discussed the potential barriers to uptake as well as the possible enablers to applying solutions to adapt to climate change in mountain regions. Speakers emphasized social vulnerability and the facilitating role of international organizations to tackle cryosphere-related disasters. They also introduced the teaser trailer […]
30 September 2022 Dear Cryosphere Capsule readers: We are happy to share the Focus Days schedule for the COP27 Cryosphere Pavilion! Each day will include up to seven side events, focused on the latest cryosphere science; the implications of these findings for climate urgency and ambition; and looking also at model low emissions pathways and […]
Nature, 14 September 2022 For the first time, researchers can precisely monitor the thickness of sea ice during every month of the year – even in the summer melt period, which will improve navigation and safety across the Arctic. Previous measurements of sea ice thickness were unavailable during summer as satellite struggled to differentiate between […]
Scientific Reports, 19 September 2022 Rising global temperatures have accelerated the retreat of the Hoksar Glacier over recent decades, reflecting a larger trend for glaciers in the Upper Indus Basin. Burning nearby of coal, wood, and agricultural crops releases black carbon; these “soot” particles darken the surface of glaciers and snow, intensifying melt. The Hoksar […]
Streamed as a webinar from the Geneva Hub, this session offers first-hand insights into the perspectives of Indigenous communities affected by climate change. Speakers discussed the need for emissions reductions, mitigation measures and adaptation strategies to protect vulnerable populations in the Arctic, and they highlighted how Indigenous peoples’ rights can be safeguarded in these projects. […]