Cryosphere in a changing climate grand challenge imperatives
The workshop goal is to further develop the strategy to address the WCRP Cryosphere in a Changing Climate Grand Challenge. Several keynote presentations on various science foci from the grand challenge white paper will be given, followed by breakout groups to develop an action plan for each imperative.
Increased confidence in climate models and their predictions/projections of cryosphere changes including those on regional scale;
Improved information regarding future changes in the cryosphere, with a specific focus on information relevant for impact assessment and adaptation decision-making, such as changes in regional temperature, snow cover and frozen ground, the timing of the Arctic multiyear sea ice disappearance, the fate of mountain glaciers, etc.;
More comprehensive, quality-controlled observational and proxy datasets of cryospheric variables suitable for a range of research and model evaluation activities;
Better quantitative understanding of processes involved in cryosphere/climate interactions and better representation of these processes in global and regional climate models. In addition, further challenges are arising with respect to the effect of the carbon sequestered in the terrestrial and sub-sea permafrost, the role of ice sheet dynamics in sea level rise, etc.
Science foci to be addressed at this workshop
- Predictions and Projections of Polar Climate
- Cryosphere Model Biases and Shortcoming
- Ice Sheet Models, dynamics and sea level rise
- Permafrost and Carbon for Earth System Models