Cryosphere Clause Samples

Cryosphere. According to the Essential Climate Variable (ECV) fact sheets, the ECVs for the cryosphere are: • Ice sheets and ice shelves: Surface elevation change, ice velocity, ice mass change, grounding line location and thickness • Glaciers: Glacier area, Glacier elevation change, glacier mass change • Permafrost: Thermal state of permafrost, active layer thickness • Snow: Area covered by snow, snow depth, snow water equivalent The C3S requirements for cryosphere in situ data in the Arctic are summarized in Table 2.4.1.

Cryosphere. In order to create good mitigation strategies for the global and local effects of the changing cryosphere as a result of global warming, it is urgent to know “how polar ice sheets will react to the warming, how much and how fast the global sea level will rise and how the global circulation (and consequently the latitudinal heat transfer and precipitation) will change.” (EU-PolarNet 2019b, 8) Another set of commonly prioritized questions for cryosphere research and monitoring in Europe include measuring and modelling the risk associated with greenhouse gas emissions from thawing sub-sea permafrost (EU-PolarNet 2016, 13). All these research topics warrant the use of PRVs and have significant societal implications. Ocean-ice sheet interactions will contribute to sea level rise requiring work in challenging conditions at the ocean – land/ice interface. Thawing sub-sea permafrost may affect marine infrastructures and preparing for both is essential to manage the risks to coastal communities, precious coastal ecosystems and major capital assets both locally and globally (Eu-PolarNet 2016, 18).

Cryosphere. The great ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, together with the smaller glacier systems across the Arctic and on the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Islands, hold sufficient water to significantly raise global sea-level over coming centuries. The uncertain stability of these glacier systems, many of which are in areas of recent, rapid climate change make them uniquely vulnerable to both atmospheric warming and changes in ocean temperature and circulation. This is also reflected through the uncertain projections of future global sea-level rise. Improving our understanding of these systems poses particular challenges to science, but is essential to manage the risks to coastal communities, precious coastal ecosystems and major capital assets across the globe. Governments, businesses and individuals who own, or are charged with protecting these assets, need to work more with science to inform their decisions on investment in and management of coastal regions. Understanding the Antarctic terrestrial and sub-sea permafrost and the consequences of its degradation is also a crucial issue. Terrestrial and sub-sea permafrost is susceptible to climate change, directly impacting the infrastructure and landscape, in the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic in particular, where vulnerability to coastal erosion is increasing. In Russia, major infrastructure is at risk of damage from thawing permafrost. The indirect impacts on climate through the potential release of greenhouse gases will add to those resulting from anthropogenic sources. Patterns and rates of permafrost change are poorly measured in all areas of the Arctic, and improved understanding of such changes is urgently needed. Sea ice and icebergs present hazards to shipping and marines structures, depending on the location within the Polar Regions. Improvements in monitoring of these would reduce risks for shipping and other ocean operations and activities. Therefore the main objectives would address:  Factors associated with or contributing to the instability of ice sheets and global sea-level rise.  Risks to coastal communities, coastal ecosystems and assets.  Impact of terrestrial and sub-sea thawing permafrost on infrastructure and landscape  Release of greenhouse gases, especially carbon and methane, from thawing permafrost.  Risk assessment methodology to estimate/map sea ice and icebergs impacts on shipping and marines structures. • What are the processes controlling the stability and equilibrium of polar gl...