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158 1St Issue 2012 ISSN 0019–1043 Ice News Bulletin of the International Glaciological Society Number 158 1st Issue 2012 Contents 2 From the Editor 18 Annals of Glaciology 54(62) 4 Recent work 18 Annals of Glaciology 54(64) 4 Denmark 19 Books and Merchandise 4 Greenland Climate Research Centre – 27 Report from the New Zealand Branch Glaciology Meeting, Twizel, February 2012 4 Ice sheet–ocean interaction 30 First Circular: International Symposium 5 Remote sensing on Changes in Glaciers and Ice Sheets, 7 Ice cores Beijing, China, July–August 2013 8 Mass balance and monitoring 34 First Circular: International Symposium 10 Sea-ice modelling on Radioglaciology, Lawrence, Kansas. 11 Climatology and the cryosphere USA, September 2013 12 Ice sheet hydrology 38 Meetings of other societies 12 Commercial glaciology 38 Northwestern Glaciologists Meeting, 13 Abbreviations Portland, Oregon, USA, October 2011 14 International Glaciological Society 42 50 years of the NVE’s Glaciology Office, 14 Journal of Glaciology Oslo, Norway, January 2012 16 Book received 44 Glaciological diary 17 Annals of Glaciology 53(60) 49 New members 18 Annals of Glaciology 53(61) Cover picture: 5 a.m. sunrise through the mountains, Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord, southeast Greenland. Photo by Laurence Dyke, 2nd year PhD student, Swansea University, Wales, UK Scanning electron micrograph of the ice crystal used in headings by kind permission of William P. Wergin, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture EXCLUSION CLAUSE. While care is taken to provide accurate accounts and information in this Newsletter, neither the editor nor the International Glaciological Society undertakes any liability for omissions or errors. 1 From the Editor Dear IGS member 2012 has been a busy year for the IGS. In This summer, because of the large addition to our Journal and Annals and our number of submissions to our symposia, newsletter ICE, we have held two symposia. quite a number of ‘oral requests’ were The first one was in Lahti, Finland, at the transferred to a poster presentation. The end of May and beginning of June. The vast majority were perfectly happy with that second one was in Fairbanks, Alaska. We decision, and we introduced an innovation are also handling the registration for the where authors with posters could also SCAR meeting in Portland. submit a short video describing their We have had a record number of poster. The videos were then continuously members this year, to date there are 930 broadcast on a large screen during the members, the most we have had since sessions and were also made available 1980. New members are signing up and online. We then had prizes for the most old members are renewing all the time. original posters and the best scientific This is very encouraging indeed. posters. Our authors did not disappoint us. The issue I would like to address in The video submissions were fantastic! We this editorial is the stigma that seems to be are now planning to make this a regular attached to poster presentations. One thing feature of our symposia and we expect it to the IGS prides itself on is the fact that we become more and more popular. very rarely have parallel sessions at our But there were a few authors who conferences. This means that delegates do were very disappointed with the verdict. not have to race between sessions, with the Some even cancelled their participation associated disruption, or choose between in the symposium, claiming ‘it was too far two talks that they would really like to to travel’ for ‘only a poster’. One student attend, without any possibility of listening author said ‘my work is too important for to a replay of the ‘missed’ talk. just a poster’, prompting a member of the But what this means is that when scientific steering committee to comment, we have a large number of abstract ‘what is his/her advisor teaching him/ submissions and a large proportion have her?’ But it is their loss: where else do you requested an oral presentation (which I have the opportunity to discuss your work can understand, as it is much easier to give with the leading experts in the field and that than to prepare a good poster), we in the congenial atmosphere that prevails have to make a choice. The guidelines we at an IGS symposium? I think an attitude follow are for an oral programme that is adjustment is in order. balanced and fully represents the various I can remember one of my first IGS topics within the theme of the symposium. symposia, a few decades ago. I was talking The remainder of the abstracts are then to this very friendly man, having the time allocated a poster slot. of my life. Some colleagues referred to him 2 as John, others as Hans. I later discovered them. But this is the beauty of being a that this was the legendary Röthlisberger. member of the IGS and attending IGS Later I also met John Glen, Johannes symposia. You rub shoulders with the great Weertman, John Nye, Almut Iken, Garry names in glaciology, socialize with your Clarke, Barclay Kamb.... the list goes peers, experience cutting-edge science on and on. All absolutely charming and and in general have a great time. What most willing to hold discussions on an better reasons could there be to join the equal footing with whoever approached International Glaciological Society? Magnús Már Magnússon Secretary General 3 Recent work Denmark GREENLAND CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTRE – 137Cs and analysed with regard to ice rafted debris GLACIOLOGY (IRD), foraminifera, diatoms and biomarkers. In this way the interaction between Irminger water, Greenland Climate Research Centre is concerned sea surface temperature and iceberg rafting with the expected impact of climate change on beyond the instrumental time period is evaluated. Arctic marine, limnic and terrestrial environments By combining sediment studies with modern and on Greenlandic society. For this project DMI climate studies we aim to extend the knowledge is developing a fully-coupled atmosphere–ice- from meteorological time series further back in sheet–ocean–sea-ice model system, capable of time. The advantage of palaeoclimate studies producing simulations at unprecedentedly high is that ‘noise’ is filtered out and the more resolutions (1–2km) for areas within the Arctic in consistent climate/glacier signal becomes more general and Greenland in particular. The HYCOM- prominent. This kind of knowledge should CICE ocean model is fully coupled with the provide an important contribution to the ongoing HIRHAM5 atmospheric model and will run at discussion about natural climate variability and a 25 km resolution for the whole Arctic. Future the consequences of anthropogenically-driven simulations driven by the EC-Earth AOGCM are climate change. also planned. In addition, glacier surface mass- Duration: 2009–2013 balance calculations have been incorporated into Partners: GEUS (Lead), Danish Natural History HIRHAM5 and are used to drive the PISM ice- Museum, Woods Hole Oceanographic institution, sheet model on a regional and whole ice-sheet INSTAAR (University of Colorado at Boulder), basis. Development of a surface meltwater routing DMI scheme (over glaciers), the incorporation of lakes, Contact at GEUS: Camilla S. Andresen (csa@ fjords and permafrost in the models are ongoing. geus.dk) Partners: NBI/KU (Lead), GEUS, DMI, DTU Space, UAF Greenland Climate Research Centre–Physical Contact at NBI/KU: Dorthe Dahl-Jensen (ddj@ oceanography in Greenland waters under climate nbi.ku.dk) change Contact at GEUS: Dirk van As ([email protected]) The waters around Greenland are affected by Contact at DMI: Ruth Mottram ([email protected]) climate change with implications not only for Contact at DTU Space: René Forsberg (rf@space. oceanic physical and biological conditions, but dtu.dk) with the potential to feedback to the large-scale thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic and thus the global climate. The aim of this project is to ICE SHEET–OCEAN INTERACTION better understand how physical oceanographic SEDIMICE conditions in the seas around Greenland will The SEDIMICE project is focused on climate respond under expected climate changes. For variability in the Southeast Greenland region (64– this project a coupled ocean–sea-ice model for 68° N). The aim is to reconstruct past fluctuations the Godthaabsfjord has been developed, capable in marine-terminating outlet glacier dynamics of producing high-resolution simulations (300 (including iceberg and melt-water production) and m–1 km) of the fjord. The model is coupled with the interaction with oceanographic changes. This an open ocean model to include the fjord–shelf is done on the basis of sediment cores retrieved interaction, including tides and interannual from fjords and the shelf and we specifically variability of deep water intrusions, and is thus focus on the instrumental period and try to put it suitable for estimation of heat transport and in context with centennial to millennial changes. heat availability for ice melt at the glacier–fjord From cruises conducted in 2009, 2010 and 2011, interface. Other elements of this project are GEUS has a large repository of marine sediment observational studies and physical and biological cores from Sermilik Fjord by Helheim Glacier modelling of Godthaabsfjorden and Young Sound. and the fjords by Ikertivaq and Køge Bugt Glacier Duration: 2009–2012 complexes as well as from the shelf in the region. Partners: DTU Aqua (Lead), DMI, VitusLab, The cores are dated by means of 14C, 210Pb and Greenland Institute of Natural Resources 4 Contact at DTU Aqua: Andre W. Visser (awa@ Contact at GEUS: Signe Bech Andersen (siba@ aqua.dtu.dk) geus.dk) Contact at DMI: Kristine S. Madsen (kma@dmi. Contact at NBI/KU: Christine S. Hvidberg (ch@ dk) gfy.ku.dk) Contact at VitusLab: Jørgen Bendtsen (jb@ Contact at DMI: Ruth Mottram ([email protected]) vituslab.dk) MONARCH-A (EU FP7) By adopting an Earth system approach the REMOTE SENSING ultimate goal of the project MONitoring and Assessing Regional Climate change in High CryoSat Cal/val/CryoVEx latitudes and the Arctic (MONARCH-A) is to Airborne radar and laser altimetry for calibration generate a dedicated information package tailored and validation of ESA’s CryoSat mission.
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