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Olsen MS, Callaghan TV, Reist JD, Reiersen LO, Dahl-Jensen D, Granskog MA, Goodison B, Hovelsrud GK, Johansson M, Kallenborn R, Key J, Klepikov A, Meier W, Overland JE, Prowse TD, Sharp M, Vincent WF, Walsh J. The Changing Arctic Cryosphere and Likely Consequences: An Overview. Ambio 2011. [PMID: 0 PMCID: PMC3357772 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-011-0220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic cryosphere is a critically important component of the earth system, affecting the energy balance, atmospheric and ocean circulation, freshwater storage, sea level, the storage, and release of large quantities of greenhouse gases, economy, infrastructure, health, and indigenous and non-indigenous livelihoods, culture and identity. Currently, components of the Arctic cryosphere are subjected to dramatic change due to global warming. The need to document, understand, project, and respond to changes in the cryosphere and their consequences stimulated a comprehensive international assessment called “SWIPA”: Snow, Water, Ice, Permafrost in the Arctic. Some of the extensive key SWIPA chapters have been summarized and made more widely available to a global audience with multi-disciplinary interests in this Special Report of Ambio. In this article, an overview is provided of this Special Report in the context of the more detailed and wider scope of the SWIPA Report. Accelerated changes in major components of the Arctic cryosphere are documented. Evidence of feedback mechanisms between the cryosphere and other parts of the climate system are identified as contributing factors to enhanced Arctic warming while the growing importance of Arctic land-based ice as a contributor to global sea-level rise is quantified. Cryospheric changes will result in multifaceted and cascading effects for people within and beyond the Arctic presenting both challenges and opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. S. Olsen
- Danish Energy Agency, Amaliegade 44, 1256 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - J. D. Reist
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6 Canada
| | | | - D. Dahl-Jensen
- Niels Bohr Institutet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M. A. Granskog
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - B. Goodison
- World Meteorological Organization, 7 bis, Avenue de la Paix, Case Postale 2300, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - G. K. Hovelsrud
- Nordland Research Institute, P.O. Box 1490, 8049 Bodø, Norway
| | - M. Johansson
- Division of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Analyses, Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - R. Kallenborn
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (IKBM), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Christian Magnus Falsen vei 1, Postbox 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - J. Key
- NOAA/NESDIS, 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - A. Klepikov
- Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 38 Bering Street, St. Petersburg, Russia 199397
| | - W. Meier
- NSIDC, University of Colorado, 449 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
| | - J. E. Overland
- Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA, Seattle, WA USA
| | - T. D. Prowse
- Environment Canada, Victoria, BC Canada
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2 Canada
| | - M. Sharp
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3 Canada
| | - W. F. Vincent
- Département de Biologie & Centre d’Études Nordiques (CEN), Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6 Canada
| | - J. Walsh
- International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK USA
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