DOCSLIB.ORG

Snow Drift and Avalanche Activity In

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Snow Drift and Avalanche Activity In SNOW DRIFT AND AVALANCHE ACTIVITY IN A HIGH ARCTIC MARITIME SNOW CLIMATE by Holt John Hancock A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Earth Sciences MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana November 2016 ©COPYRIGHT by Holt John Hancock 2016 All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Jordy Hendrikx and Dr. Hanne H. Christiansen for establishing this opportunity to study in Svalbard. I am grateful to Dr. Karl Birkeland and Stuart Challender for their guidance through the changes in this project and their willingness to critique multiple iterations of this thesis during the summer. This work would not have been possible without Matt Wieland’s original email notifying me of this research opportunity, Ty Mack’s benevolence as a landlord and cousin, and all my friends who dealt with panicked late-night texts. Thanks to Dave, Bob, Mike, Chelan, Taylor, Will, and everyone else at Big Sky for allowing me to (attempt to) balance school and work. In Svalbard, I thank Dr. Max Eckerstorfer, Wes, and Dr. Alex Prokop for the scientific advice and the opportunity for continued involvement with snow and avalanche research at UNIS, Sara Mollie for help with everything Svalbard related, and the fine scientists on the 3rd floor for keeping motivation levels high(ish). The Svalbard Science Forum, the Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals, teaching assistantships from the Department of Earth Sciences at MSU and the Arctic Geology Department at UNIS, and a grant from Kongsberg Satellite Services all provided funding for this work. Finally, I thank my parents, Julie and Scott Hancock, for all their support over the years and instilling in me a love of cold, wild places and my sister, Eliza Hancock, for being my oldest friend. Brenna Kelleher’s unconditional love, support, ski coaching, and well-timed visit to Svalbard made this work possible and enjoyable. I would still be fretting about the “knee issue” without you. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1 1.1 Background Information............................................................................................1 1.2 Research Questions....................................................................................................5 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................6 2.1 A Note on Terminology .............................................................................................6 2.2 Snow Drift Processes .................................................................................................7 2.3 Avalanche Forecasting and Synoptic Understanding of Avalanche Processes ..................................................................................................................20 2.3.1 Snow Climate Classifications ........................................................................ 22 2.3.2 Synoptic Avalanche Forecasting ................................................................... 24 2.3.3 Statistical Avalanche Forecasting ................................................................. 25 2.4 Snow and Avalanche Research in Svalbard ............................................................27 3. STUDY AREA ..............................................................................................................30 3.1 Physical Setting .......................................................................................................30 3.2 Climatic and Meteorological Setting .......................................................................33 3.3 Snow Climate of Svalbard .......................................................................................34 4. METHODS ....................................................................................................................38 4.1 Data Sources ............................................................................................................38 4.1.1 Local Meteorological Observations .............................................................. 42 4.1.2 Road Closures on the SvalSat Road and Selection of Drift Events ............................................................................................................ 45 4.1.3 Avalanche Observations ................................................................................ 48 4.2 Manual Drift Observations ......................................................................................49 4.3 Meteorological Data Analyses.................................................................................52 4.3.1 Standardization/Aggregation of Meteorological Data .................................. 53 4.3.2 Extension/Gap-Filling of the SvalSat Temperature and Wind Speed Records ............................................................................................... 54 4.3.3 Statistical Differentiation Between Drift Events and Non- Events ............................................................................................................ 56 4.3.4 Synoptic Analyses ......................................................................................... 56 4.4 Drift Events and Regional Avalanche Observations ...............................................58 4.5 Snow Drift Severity Calculations ............................................................................60 4.5.1 Potential Annual Snow Transport and Snow Transport Severity Classification ................................................. 60 4.6 Devising Appropriate Snow Fence Strategies for the SvalSat Road .......................63 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED 4.6.1 Design Transport ........................................................................................... 63 4.6.2 Calculating Required Snow Fence Height .................................................... 64 5. RESULTS ......................................................................................................................66 5.1 Manual Drift Observations ......................................................................................67 5.2 Local Meteorological Conditions at SvalSat During Drift Events ..........................70 5.2.1 Wind Speed and Direction ............................................................................ 76 5.2.2 Air Temperature ............................................................................................ 78 5.2.3 Precipitation................................................................................................... 80 5.3 Synoptic Patterns During Drift Events ....................................................................82 5.4 Case Studies .............................................................................................................98 5.4.1 March 2007.................................................................................................... 98 5.4.2 May 2009 ..................................................................................................... 101 5.4.3 January 2010................................................................................................ 103 5.4.4 March 2011.................................................................................................. 106 5.5 Snow Transport Severity Calculations………………………………………109 5.5.1 Snow Supply and Snow Transport Severity Calculations ........................................................ 109 5.5.2 Snow Fence Design ..................................................................................... 114 6. DISCUSSION ..............................................................................................................118 6.1 Study Limitations ..................................................................................................119 6.2 Manual Drift Observations ....................................................................................122 6.3 Local and Synoptic Meteorological Conditions during Drift Events ....................124 6.3.1 Local Meteorological Conditions ................................................................ 124 6.3.2 Synoptic Conditions .................................................................................... 129 6.4 Snow Drift and Avalanche Activity in Svalbard ...................................................133 6.5 Implications for Snow Fences in Svalbard ............................................................139 7. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................142 7.1 Key Findings..........................................................................................................142 7.2 Research Challenges and Future Work .................................................................143 REFERENCES CITED ....................................................................................................145 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................156 APPENDIX A: Daily Drift Event Summaries ............................................................157 APPENDIX B: Manual Drift Observation Field Data ................................................166 v LIST OF TABLES Table ....................... Page 1. Characteristics and key findings of selected snow drift
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Climate in Svalbard 2100
    M-1242 | 2018 Climate in Svalbard 2100 – a knowledge base for climate adaptation NCCS report no. 1/2019 Photo: Ketil Isaksen, MET Norway Editors I.Hanssen-Bauer, E.J.Førland, H.Hisdal, S.Mayer, A.B.Sandø, A.Sorteberg CLIMATE IN SVALBARD 2100 CLIMATE IN SVALBARD 2100 Commissioned by Title: Date Climate in Svalbard 2100 January 2019 – a knowledge base for climate adaptation ISSN nr. Rapport nr. 2387-3027 1/2019 Authors Classification Editors: I.Hanssen-Bauer1,12, E.J.Førland1,12, H.Hisdal2,12, Free S.Mayer3,12,13, A.B.Sandø5,13, A.Sorteberg4,13 Clients Authors: M.Adakudlu3,13, J.Andresen2, J.Bakke4,13, S.Beldring2,12, R.Benestad1, W. Bilt4,13, J.Bogen2, C.Borstad6, Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet) K.Breili9, Ø.Breivik1,4, K.Y.Børsheim5,13, H.H.Christiansen6, A.Dobler1, R.Engeset2, R.Frauenfelder7, S.Gerland10, H.M.Gjelten1, J.Gundersen2, K.Isaksen1,12, C.Jaedicke7, H.Kierulf9, J.Kohler10, H.Li2,12, J.Lutz1,12, K.Melvold2,12, Client’s reference 1,12 4,6 2,12 5,8,13 A.Mezghani , F.Nilsen , I.B.Nilsen , J.E.Ø.Nilsen , http://www.miljodirektoratet.no/M1242 O. Pavlova10, O.Ravndal9, B.Risebrobakken3,13, T.Saloranta2, S.Sandven6,8,13, T.V.Schuler6,11, M.J.R.Simpson9, M.Skogen5,13, L.H.Smedsrud4,6,13, M.Sund2, D. Vikhamar-Schuler1,2,12, S.Westermann11, W.K.Wong2,12 Affiliations: See Acknowledgements! Abstract The Norwegian Centre for Climate Services (NCCS) is collaboration between the Norwegian Meteorological In- This report was commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency in order to provide basic information for use stitute, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, Norwegian Research Centre and the Bjerknes in climate change adaptation in Svalbard.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Changes in a High Arctic Ecosystem Eveline Pinseel
    Master thesis submitted to obtain the degree of Master in Biology, specialisation Ecology and Environment Environmental Changes in a High Arctic Ecosystem Eveline Pinseel Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bart Van de Vijver Faculty of Science Co-supervisor: Dr. Kateřina Kopalová Department of Biology With the collaboration of Myriam de Haan Academic year 2013-2014 As long as there is a hunger for knowledge and a deep desire to uncover the truth, microscopy will continue to unveil Mother Nature's deepest and most beautiful secrets. Lelio Orci & Michael Pepper (2002) i ii Acknowledgements This master thesis wouldn’t have been possible without the support, energy and enthusiasm of many people. First, I wish to thank Prof. Dr. Bart Van de Vijver for all his support, energy, enthusiasm and time. Bart, I’m so lucky that you found me such a great thesis subject when I came, full of hope, asking for one after you finished giving your first course of paleoecology, back in September 2012. I had planned that question for months and thanks to your effort and enthusiasm, I turned up having my desired thesis subject weeks before the official announcements of the thesis subjects. I must admit I was a bit afraid of ‘the diatoms’, but after looking at a diatom slide through the microscope for the first time, I knew I chose right. THIS is what I want to do! So Bart, THANKS! Thanks for giving me this opportunity, teaching me about diatoms, always answering my questions, no matter what! Thanks for all the car rides to the Botanic Garden Meise, for the numerous nice chats and your good advice, not only concerning this thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Differing Climatic Mass Balance Evolution Across Svalbard Glacier Regions Over 1900–2010
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 06 September 2018 doi: 10.3389/feart.2018.00128 Differing Climatic Mass Balance Evolution Across Svalbard Glacier Regions Over 1900–2010 Marco Möller 1,2,3* and Jack Kohler 4 1 Institute of Geography, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany, 2 Geography Department, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 3 Department of Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany, 4 Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway Relatively little is known about the glacier mass balance of Svalbard in the first half of the twentieth century. Here, we present the first century-long climatic mass balance time series for the Svalbard archipelago. We use a parameterized mass balance model forced by statistically downscaled ERA-20C data to model climatic mass balance for all glacierized areas on Svalbard with a 250m resolution for the period 1900–2010. Results are presented for the archipelago as a whole and separately for nine different subregions. We analyze the extent to which climatic mass balance in the different subregions mirror the temporal evolution of the climate warming signal, especially during Edited by: the early twentieth century Arctic warming episode. The spatially averaged mean annual Matthias Huss, climatic mass balance for all Svalbard is balanced at −0.002 m w.e. with an associated ETH Zürich, Switzerland mean equilibrium line altitude of 425m a.s.l. When also taking calving fluxes into account, Reviewed by: − Xavier Fettweis, this status leads to an archipelago-wide cumulative mass balance of 16.9m w.e. over University of Liège, Belgium the study period, equaling a sea level equivalent of ∼1.6 mm.
    [Show full text]
  • The Svalbard Science Conference 2017 Alphabetical List of Abstracts by First Author (Tentative)
    The Svalbard Science Conference 2017 Alphabetical List of Abstracts by first author (Tentative) List of abstracts Coupled Atmosphere – Climatic Mass Balance Modeling of Svalbard Glaciers (id 140), Kjetil S. Aas et al. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Dynamics of legacy and emerging organic pollutants in the seawater from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway) (id 85), Nicoletta Ademollo et al. .................................................................................... 16 A radio wave velocity model contributing to precise ice volume estimation on Svalbard glaciers (id 184), Songtao Ai et al. ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Glacier front detection through mass continuity and remote sensing (id 88), Bas Altena et al. .. 19 Pan-Arctic GNSS research and monitoring infrastructure and examples of space weather effects on GNSS system. (id 120), Yngvild Linnea Andalsvik et al. ............................................................................ 19 Methane release related to retreat of the Svalbard – Barents Sea Ice Sheet. (id 191), Karin Andreassen et al. ............................................................................................................................................................. 20 European Plate Observing System – Norway (EPOS-N) (id 144), Kuvvet Atakan
    [Show full text]
  • Diagnosing the Decline in Climatic Mass Balance of Glaciers in Svalbard Over 1957–2014
    The Cryosphere, 11, 191–215, 2017 www.the-cryosphere.net/11/191/2017/ doi:10.5194/tc-11-191-2017 © Author(s) 2017. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Diagnosing the decline in climatic mass balance of glaciers in Svalbard over 1957–2014 Torbjørn Ims Østby1, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler1, Jon Ove Hagen1, Regine Hock2,3, Jack Kohler4, and Carleen H. Reijmer5 1Institute of Geoscience, University of Oslo, PO Box 1047 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway 2Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7320, USA 3Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden 4Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, PO Box 6606 Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway 5Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, the Netherlands Correspondence to: Torbjørn Ims Østby ([email protected]) Received: 8 July 2016 – Published in The Cryosphere Discuss.: 1 August 2016 Revised: 22 November 2016 – Accepted: 25 December 2016 – Published: 26 January 2017 Abstract. Estimating the long-term mass balance of the ever, as warming leads to reduced firn area over the period, high-Arctic Svalbard archipelago is difficult due to the in- refreezing decreases both absolutely and relative to the total complete geodetic and direct glaciological measurements, accumulation. Negative mass balance and elevated equilib- both in space and time. To close these gaps, we use a cou- rium line altitudes (ELAs) resulted in massive reduction of pled surface energy balance and snow pack model to anal- the thick (> 2 m) firn extent and an increase in the super- yse the mass changes of all Svalbard glaciers for the pe- imposed ice, thin (< 2 m) firn and bare ice extents.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity and Distribution of Mites (Acari: Ixodida, Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, Sarcoptiformes) in the Svalbard Archipelago
    Article Diversity and Distribution of Mites (Acari: Ixodida, Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, Sarcoptiformes) in the Svalbard Archipelago Anna Seniczak 1,*, Stanisław Seniczak 2, Marla D. Schwarzfeld 3 and Stephen J. Coulson 4,5 and Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz 6 1 Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Postboks 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway 2 Department Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University, J.K. Chodkiewicza 30, 85-064 Bydgoszcz, Poland; [email protected] 3 Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6, Canada; [email protected] 4 Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU Artdatabanken, Box 7007, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden; [email protected] 5 Department of Arctic Biology, University Centre in Svalbard, P.O. Box 156, 9171 Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway 6 Faculty of Forestry, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71c, 60-625 Poznań, Poland; [email protected] * Correnspondence: [email protected] Received: 21 July 2020; Accepted: 19 August 2020; Published: 25 August 2020 Abstract: Svalbard is a singular region to study biodiversity. Located at a high latitude and geographically isolated, the archipelago possesses widely varying environmental conditions and unique flora and fauna communities. It is also here where particularly rapid environmental changes are occurring, having amongst the fastest increases in mean air temperature in the Arctic. One of the most common and species-rich invertebrate groups in Svalbard is the mites (Acari). We here describe the characteristics of the Svalbard acarofauna, and, as a baseline, an updated inventory of 178 species (one Ixodida, 36 Mesostigmata, 43 Trombidiformes, and 98 Sarcoptiformes) along with their occurrences.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Introduction to Special Issue in Quaternary Science Reviews: The
    Introduction to special issue in Quaternary Science Reviews: The Island of Amsterdamøya: a key site for studying past climate in the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard Jostein Bakke1, Nicholas Balascio2, Willem G. M. van der Bilt1, Raymond Bradley3, William J. D`Andrea4, Marthe Gjerde1, Sædis Òlafsdottir1, Torgeir Røthe1 and Greg De Wet3 1 Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Allègaten 41, 5007, Bergen, Norway 2 Department of Geology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA 3Climate System Research Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA 4 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA Abstract: This paper introduces a series of articles assembled in a special issue that explore Holocene climate evolution, as recorded in lakes on the Island of Amsterdamøya on the westernmost fringe of the Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Due to its location near the interface of oceanic and atmospheric systems sourced from Arctic and Atlantic regions, Amsterdamøya is a key site for recording the terrestrial response to marine and atmospheric changes. We employed multi-proxy approaches on lake sediments, integrating physical, biogeochemical, and isotopic analyses to infer past changes in temperature, precipitation, and glacier activity. The results comprise a series of quantitative Holocene-length paleoclimate reconstructions that reveal different aspects of past climate change. Each of the five papers in this issue addresses various facets of the Holocene climate history of north-western Svalbard, including a reconstruction of the Annabreen glacier based on the sedimentology of the distal glacier-fed lake Gjøavatnet, a a reconstruction of changing hydrologic conditions based on sedimentology and stratigraphy in Lake Hakluytvatnet, reconstruction of summer temperature based on alkenone paleothermometry from lakes Hakluytvatnet and Hajeren, and a hydrogen isotope reconstruction from lake Hakluytvatnet.
    [Show full text]
  • Sess Report 2019
    SESS REPORT 2019 The State of Environmental Science in Svalbard – an annual report SESS REPORT 2019 The State of Environmental Science in Svalbard – an annual report Floor van den Heuvel, Christiane Hübner, Malgorzata Błaszczyk, Martin Heimann, Heikki Lihavainen (Editors) SESS report 2019 The State of Environmental Science in Svalbard – an annual report ISSN 2535-809X (printed) ISSN 2535-6321 (pdf) ISBN 978-82-691528-7-6 (printed, stapled) ISBN 978-82-691528-6-9 (pdf) Publisher: Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) Editors: Floor van den Heuvel, Christiane Hübner, Malgorzata Błaszczyk, Martin Heimann, Heikki Lihavainen Editor popular science summaries: Janet Holmén Layout: Melkeveien designkontor, Oslo CITATION: Entire report: Van den Heuvel F, Hübner C, Błaszczyk M, Heimann M, Lihavainen H (eds) 2020: SESS report 2019, Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, Longyearbyen Chapters in report: All authors (2020) Title of chapter. In: Van den Heuvel et al. (eds): SESS report 2019, Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, Longyearbyen, pp. xx - xx The report is published as electronic document, available from the SIOS web site www.sios-svalbard.org/SESSreport Contents Foreword ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Authors from following institutions contributed to this report ....................................................................... 8 Excecutive summary ..............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Elevation Change and Mass Balance of Svalbard Glaciers from Geodetic Data
    Elevation change and mass balance of Svalbard glaciers from geodetic data by Geir Moholdt PhD thesis Oslo 2010 Department of Geosciences Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences University of Oslo © Geir Moholdt, 2010 Series of dissertations submitted to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo No. 1035 ISSN 1501-7710 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission. Cover: Inger Sandved Anfinsen. Printed in Norway: AIT Oslo AS. Produced in co-operation with Unipub. The thesis is produced by Unipub merely in connection with the thesis defence. Kindly direct all inquiries regarding the thesis to the copyright holder or the unit which grants the doctorate. Abstract The Arctic region is more affected by recent climate change than the lower latitudes. Glaciers and ice caps are sensitive indicators of climate change, and there is a high demand for more accurate quantifications of glacier changes in the Arctic. This thesis uses ground- based, airborne and spaceborne elevation measurements to estimate elevation change and mass balance of glaciers and ice caps on the Svalbard archipelago in the Norwegian Arctic. Previous assessments of the overall glacier mass balance of Svalbard have been based on in- situ measurements of surface mass balance from a limited number of sites, mainly in western Svalbard. Little has been known about the mass balance of eastern Svalbard glaciers, among those the Austfonna ice cap which covers more than 20% of the total glaciated area of 34600 km2 on Svalbard. Annual field campaigns at Austfonna were initiated in 2004, providing in- situ data on surface mass balance and elevation change which are used to validate remote sensing data.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate in Svalbard 2100
    M-1242 | 2018 Climate in Svalbard 2100 – a knowledge base for climate adaptation NCCS report no. 1/2019 Photo: Ketil Isaksen, MET Norway Editors I.Hanssen-Bauer, E.J.Førland, H.Hisdal, S.Mayer, A.B.Sandø, A.Sorteberg CLIMATE IN SVALBARD 2100 CLIMATE IN SVALBARD 2100 Commissioned by Title: Date Climate in Svalbard 2100 January 2019 – a knowledge base for climate adaptation ISSN nr. Rapport nr. 2387-3027 1/2019 Authors Classification Editors: I.Hanssen-Bauer1,12, E.J.Førland1,12, H.Hisdal2,12, Free S.Mayer3,12,13, A.B.Sandø5,13, A.Sorteberg4,13 Clients Authors: M.Adakudlu3,13, J.Andresen2, J.Bakke4,13, S.Beldring2,12, R.Benestad1, W. Bilt4,13, J.Bogen2, C.Borstad6, Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet) K.Breili9, Ø.Breivik1,4, K.Y.Børsheim5,13, H.H.Christiansen6, A.Dobler1, R.Engeset2, R.Frauenfelder7, S.Gerland10, H.M.Gjelten1, J.Gundersen2, K.Isaksen1,12, C.Jaedicke7, H.Kierulf9, J.Kohler10, H.Li2,12, J.Lutz1,12, K.Melvold2,12, Client’s reference 1,12 4,6 2,12 5,8,13 A.Mezghani , F.Nilsen , I.B.Nilsen , J.E.Ø.Nilsen , http://www.miljodirektoratet.no/M1242 O. Pavlova10, O.Ravndal9, B.Risebrobakken3,13, T.Saloranta2, S.Sandven6,8,13, T.V.Schuler6,11, M.J.R.Simpson9, M.Skogen5,13, L.H.Smedsrud4,6,13, M.Sund2, D. Vikhamar-Schuler1,2,12, S.Westermann11, W.K.Wong2,12 Affiliations: See Acknowledgements! Abstract The Norwegian Centre for Climate Services (NCCS) is collaboration between the Norwegian Meteorological In- This report was commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency in order to provide basic information for use stitute, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, Norwegian Research Centre and the Bjerknes in climate change adaptation in Svalbard.
    [Show full text]
  • The Atmosphere Above Ny-Ålesund: Climate and Global Warming, Ozone and Surface UV Radiation
    Chapter 2 The Atmosphere Above Ny-Ålesund: Climate and Global Warming, Ozone and Surface UV Radiation Marion Maturilli, Inger Hanssen-Bauer, Roland Neuber, Markus Rex, and Kåre Edvardsen Abstract The Arctic region is considered to be most sensitive to climate change, with warming in the Arctic occurring considerably faster than the global average due to several positive feedback mechanisms contributing to the “Arctic amplifica- tion”. Also the maritime and mountainous climate of Svalbard has undergone changes during the last decades. Here, the focus is set on the current atmospheric boundary conditions for the marine ecosystem in the Kongsfjord area, discussed in the frame of long-term climatic observations in the larger regional and hemispheric context. During the last century, a general warming is found with temperature increases and precipitation changes varying in strength. During the last decades, a strong seasonality of the warming is observed in the Kongsfjord area, with the strongest temperature increase occurring during the winter season. The winter warming is related to observed changes in the net longwave radiation. Moreover, changes in the net shortwave radiation are observed during the summer period, attributed to the decrease in reflected radiation caused by the retreating snow cover. Another related aspect of radiation is the intensity of solar ultra-violet radiation that is closely coupled to the abundance of ozone in the column of air overhead. The long-term evolution of ozone losses in the Arctic and their connection to climate change are discussed. Keywords Arctic climate change · Surface temperature · Surface radiation budget · Stratospheric ozone M. Maturilli (*) · R. Neuber · M.
    [Show full text]
  • Study to Assess the Feasibility of Establishing a Svalbard Arctic Seed Depository for the International Community
    Study to Assess the Feasibility of Establishing a Svalbard Arctic Seed Depository for the International Community Prepared for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture Center for International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Agricultural University of Norway & Nordic Gene Bank 14 September 2004 Study to Assess the Feasibility of Establishing a Svalbard Arctic Seed Depository for the International Community Introduction and Background Plant genetic resources are the biological foundation of agriculture and the raw material for all plant breeding. Generated over thousands of years, the genetic diversity contained within cultivated plant species is immense. Over 6 million accessions – samples – of this diversity are conserved (principally in the form of seed) in cold storage facilities in various locations around the world. As Professor Jack Harlan, one the most imminent experts in the field stated before his death in 1999, “these resources stand between us and catastrophic starvation on a scale we cannot imagine.” Our existence on earth rests on how well we care of these seeds; and their existence depends on us. In many ways, it really is that simple. International standards promulgated in 1994 for the conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture call for each “unique” accession to be duplicated and stored in at least one additional location, ideally in a different country, because, as FAO’s State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources (1998) documented, individual genebanks are vulnerable to a host of problems that can endanger their collections, including poor management, lack of adequate funding, equipment failures, and natural catastrophes. In addition to these threats, we now recognize the need to provide protection against potentially more cataclysmic dangers: civil strife, war, and acts of terrorism.
    [Show full text]