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IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report 2007 Foreword

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IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report 2007 Foreword Cryosphere Theme Report For the Monitoring of our Environment from Space and from Earth 2007 An international partnership for cooperation in Earth observations NOTE The designations employed in WMO publications and the presentation of mate- rial in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of WMO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This document is not an official WMO publication and has not been subjected to WMO’s standard editorial procedures. The views expressed herein do not necessarily have the endorsement of the WMO. A CRYOSPHERE THEME REPORT FOR THE IGOS PARTNERSHIP August 2007 WMO/TD-No. 1405 Preface The Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) is a strategic planning process initiated by a partnership of international organizations that are concerned with the observational component of global environmental change issues. It links research, long-term monitoring and operational programmes, bringing together the producers of global observations and the users that require them to identify products needed, gaps in observations, and mechanisms to respond to the needs of the science and policy communities. Its principal objectives are to address how well user requirements are being satisfied by the existing observations systems, and how they could be met more effectively in the future through better integration and optimisation of satellite, airborne, and in-situ observation systems. The IGOS partners are comprised of the Global Observing Systems (GOS), the International Organizations that sponsor the Global Observing Systems, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), and International Global Change Science and Research programmes. The IGOS Partners recognise that a comprehensive global earth observing system is best achieved through a step- wise process focused on practical results. The IGOS Themes allow for the definition and development of a global strategy for the observation of selected environmental issues that are of common interest to the IGOS Partners and to user groups. IGOS currently has the following themes: the Oceans, the Carbon Cycle, Geohazards, the Water Cycle, Atmospheric Chemistry, the Coastal Zone and a Coral Reef Sub-theme. The IGOS Cryosphere Theme was initiated in 2004 by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project and by the International Council for Science (ICSU) through the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR). The proposal to develop the theme was approved by the IGOS Partners at their 11th Plenary in Rome, Italy, in May 2004 and a Theme Team was formed. With the support of a worldwide cryospheric science community, a draft report was submitted to the IGOS Plenary in Paris, France, in May 2007. Further information on IGOS can be obtained from: http://www.igospartners.org The Cryosphere Theme report is available from: http://igos-cryosphere.org Inquiries to the IGOS Cryosphere theme can be sent to: [email protected] Keith Alverson Barbara Ryan IOC USGS IGOS-P co-chair IGOS-P co-chair iii IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report 2007 Foreword The climate science community, national and international policy makers, the media, and the general public are giving considerable attention to the cryosphere for the following reasons: • Many glaciers, the Greenland ice sheet, permafrost and frozen ground, snow cover, Arctic sea ice, are exhibiting dramatic changes. Melting permafrost and sea ice in the Arctic affect ecosystems and the sustainability of human activities. Melting glaciers and ice sheets is a key contributor to rising sea levels. The stability of the cryosphere is therefore a matter of significant concern for science and international policy, particularly in light of the global warming identified by the 2007 reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). • Adequate knowledge of the cryosphere is important for weather and climate prediction, assessment and prediction of sea level rise, availability of fresh water resources, navigation, shipping, fishing, mineral resource exploration and exploitation, and in many other practical applications. • The cryosphere provides indicators of climate change, yet it may be the most under-sampled domain in the climate system. The Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) Cryosphere Theme is required to create a framework for, and facilitate improved coordination of, cryospheric observations, and to generate the data and information needed for both operational services and research. In the polar regions, the cost of in situ observations is very high, and satellite monitoring is challenging. Therefore, there is a particularly strong need for a close coordination of observations. There is also a need to strengthen national and international institutional structures responsible for cryospheric observations, and to increase resources for ensuring the transition of research-based projects to sustained observations. The likelihood of achieving such goals will be significantly enhanced through the development of a comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated approach of the kind represented by an IGOS Theme. This report aims to initiate a process that will ultimately result in a more comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated cryospheric observing system. The report starts with an Executive Summary that includes major recommendations. Chapters 1 and 2 define the cryosphere and the major applications of cryospheric data. Chapters 3-10 describe our current capabilities and requirements for observing essential climate variables (ECVs) in the major domains of the cryosphere. Each of these chapters contains domain-specific recommendations. Chapter 11 reviews the cryospheric observing system by observation types; i.e., in situ, satellite, and airborne. Data management objectives are detailed. Chapter 12 presents the Theme implementation considerations and their timeline. Throughout the report we will refer to the Cryosphere Theme as CryOS, the Cryosphere Observing System. Many people and agencies have supported this effort. We thank the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), the European Space Agency (ESA), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) for supporting three workshops. We would like to thank the authors and all contributors listed here and on our web site. Approximately 80 scientists from 17 countries have contributed to this report. Their efforts and commitment were essential to its completion and will be critical to the success of the Theme. Jeffrey Key Mark Drinkwater Jinro Ukita National Oceanic and Atmospheric European Space Agency Chiba University Administration USA The Netherlands Japan IGOS Cryosphere Theme Chair IGOS Cryosphere Theme Vice-chair IGOS Cryosphere Theme Vice-chair IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report 2007 iv Executive Summary The cryosphere collectively describes elements of the earth system containing water in its frozen state and includes sea ice, lake and river ice, snow cover, solid precipitation, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, permafrost, and seasonally frozen ground. The presence of frozen water in the atmosphere, on land, and on the ocean surface affects energy, moisture, gas and particle fluxes, clouds, precipitation, hydrological conditions, and atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Elements of the cryosphere also contain important records of past climate providing benchmarks for interpreting modern climate change. The cryosphere exists at all latitudes and in about one hundred countries. Observations of the cryosphere and associated data products can contribute to all societal benefit areas of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). Snowmelt and glacier run-off are major sources of hydropower and in many areas the only sources of water for sustaining life and agriculture. Several natural hazards are directly related to the cryosphere including avalanches, icebergs, and catastrophic flooding from glacial lakes. The cryosphere affects all modes of transportation even at the local level where seasonal melt and refreezing can damage roads. The cryosphere is associated with cold climates, though snow and ice are also found in the high mountains of tropical and subtropical regions. Environmental conditions in areas where the cryosphere exists are, as a rule, harsh, and observations there are costly. Some cryospheric observing networks are declining due to lack of investment, e.g., there are substantial reductions in networks monitoring glaciers and lake and river ice. Satellite monitoring overcomes some of the logistical obstacles but satellites are also costly and do not fully address the range of geophysical variables needed to understand the cryosphere. For these reasons, there is a practical economic incentive for conducting and sharing cryospheric observations and data products for the benefit of various user communities and nations. To address the decline in cryospheric networks and to strengthen the cooperation between the multiple programs and entities working with cryospheric observations and data, the IGOS partnership asked the Cryosphere Theme Team to identify ways to:
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