Climate and Cryosphere (CliC):Legacy for 2013 and Beyond

Jeff KeyNOAA/NESDISChair, CliC Observation and Products Panel

(Agenda item 12.3.4)

Long-term interests of CliC will reflect the future priorities of WCRP and will likely be associated with:

• Targeted multi-disciplinary sea-level variability and change research.

• Emerging research of understudied cryospheric elements, such as ice shelves, with a focus on the climate change and variability.

• Scientific support to cryospheric observations and generation of data products, the IGOS Cryosphere Theme/GEOSS, GCW, GCOS.

• Jointly with other WCRP projects and partners, developing a science theme on polar predictability. Modeling and prediction of all cryospheric elements, for a broad range of applications, especially climate prediction from months to centuries.

• Encouraging and promoting additional regional activities (e.g., in South America) that will provide strategic regional planning on cryospheric issues to carry the legacy of CliC for future decades.

• Synthesizing activity/assessment on cryospheric contribution to water and carbon balance.

• Enhancing collaboration with IGBP and other groups to include cryospheric change in studies of societal impact and mitigation.

CliC SSG-6, Valdivia, Chile, 6-9.02. 2010

Ice sheets and SLR

Marine Cryosphere

Terrestrial Cryosphere

Global Prediction of Cryosphere

Cryospheric inputs to the Arctic and Southern Ocean Freshwater Budgets

Ice sheet and ice shelf dynamics and impacts on sea level

Regional Climate Modelling as forcing for cryospheric models Initiatives

that integrate CliCthemes

Carbon and Permafrost

Changes and feedbacks in Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice ☼ Lead theme

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Observational programs that will contribute to the legacy• The WMO Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW), if it goes forward, will be

ongoing. GCW will influence the intermediate and long-term monitoring of the cryosphere. GCW will be part of WIGOS, which is part of GEOSS.

• SAON (Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks) – Implementation of SAON recommendations will occur through the Arctic Council.

• ICARPII (2nd International Conference on Arctic Research Planning) has identified observational needs. CliC will revisit them.

• Asia-CliC’s observational efforts will expand.

Prediction linkages that will help define the legacy• Together with SPARC, CliC would like to develop a “polar initiative”. The

WMO Polar Observations, Research, and Services (PORS) panel is discussing a “polar prediction system”.

• CliC is building links with CLIPS and wishes to bridge polar climate science, needs of users, and activities of operational climate prediction centers.

Legacy products• Legacy products: sea ice area, extent, concentration, and motion, snow

cover, ice surface albedo and temperature, arctic precipitation. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) is the primary home for these products.

• Products that need further development: snow water equivalent, sea ice thickness, solid precipitation, glacier and ice sheet mass balance

Longer-term Issues*• Viability of the Global Cryosphere Watch.• Interaction with modelers on the use and treatment of ice properties and

processes in GCMs needs to be expanded.• Stronger presence in GEOSS.

*The views expressed in this section are those of the presenter and may or may not reflect those of the CliC SSG.

The 15th WMO Congress (May 2007) welcomed the proposal of Canada that WMO will create a Global Cryosphere Watch which would be an important

component of the IPY legacy. Congress requested the WMO Inter-commission Task Group on IPY to establish an ad-hoc expert group to explore the possibility of creation

of such global system and prepare recommendations for its development.

The Global Cryosphere Watch

A legacy of IPY

A component of WIGOS

A legacy of WCRP/CliC in the area of observations

A contribution to GEOSS

GLOBAL CRYOSPHERE WATCH:

observation, monitoring, assessment, product development, research through to prediction

Mission:• implement the IGOS Cryosphere Theme (CryOS);

• support reliable, comprehensive observations through an integrated observing approach;

• provide the scientific community with the means to predict the future state of the cryosphere;

• facilitate the assessment of changes in the cryosphere and their impact; support decision making and environmental policy development;

• provide authoritative information on the current state and projected fate of the cryosphere for use by the scientific community, media, public, decision and policy makers.

SAON

International Polar Year (IPY) workshops on Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks

Workshops in Stockholm (2007), Edmonton (2008), and Helsinki (October 2008)

The importance of this effort (in my opinion) is the political connection to countries with Arctic interests through the Arctic Council (http://www.arctic-council.org).

More information is available at http://arcticobserving.org.