Jeff Key NOAA/NESDIS, Madison, Wisconsin

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Jeff KeyNOAA/NESDIS, Madison, Wisconsin
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IGOS Cryosphere Theme
The cryosphere is an integral part of the global
climate system, modulating surface energy and
moisture fluxes, clouds, precipitation,
hydrology, and atmospheric and oceanic
circulation. Variability in the cryosphere has
broad ranging socio-economic impacts, including
land and sea transportation, water resources, sea
level change, wildlife, and recreation. The
Cryosphere Theme was established by the
Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS)
Partners in 2004.
sea ice
ice sheets ice caps
lake ice
snow
solidprecipitation
frozen ground
glaciers
OBJECTIVES The Cryosphere Theme addresses
observations of snow, solid precipitation, lake
and river ice, sea ice, glaciers, ice caps, ice
sheets, permafrost, and seasonally frozen ground.
The Theme will create a framework for improved
coordination of observations collected by
research, long-term monitoring, and operational
programmes, achieve better availability and
accessibility of cryospheric information for
operational services and research, strengthen
national and international institutional
structures responsible for cryospheric
observations, and increase resources for ensuring
the transition of research-based observing
projects into sustained observations and
practical applications.
BENEFITS The Theme will contribute to assessments
of the socio-economic and environmental impacts
of changes in the cryosphere by providing
scientific input to national and international
policy makers.
Challenge The challenge of the Cryosphere theme
is to determine how observations should be
coordinated and developed, and to enhance the
observation and monitoring of the cryosphere in
support of process studies, model evaluation, and
change detection.
FURTHER INFORMATION Jeffrey Key,
(jkey_at_ssec.wisc.edu) Vladimir Ryabinin
(VRyabinin_at_wmo.int) http//www.igospartners.org
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Cryosphere

• Snow- SWE, depth, extent, state, density,
  snowfall, solid precipitation, albedo- in-situ
  climate synoptic (manual, auto), weather radar,
  remote sensing
• Lake and River Ice- FU/BU, thickness, snow on
  ice- in-situ (shore based), remote sensing
• Sea Ice- extent, concentration, open water,
  type, thickness, motion, icebergs, snow on ice-
  landfast (manual), ship-based aerial
  reconnaissance, satellite airborne
  reconnaissance
• Glaciers, Ice Caps, Ice sheets- mass balance
  (accumulation/ablation), thickness, area, length
  (geometry), firn temperature, snowline/equilibrium
  line, snow on ice- ground-based (in-situ),
  remote sensing
• Frozen Ground/Permafrost- soil
  temperature/thermal state, active layer
  thickness, borehole temperature, extent, snow
  cover- in-situ (manual, auto), remote sensing
  (new)

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Countries Where Cryosphere Occurs
95 countries identified with cryospheric
components Cryosphere is global
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Theme Goals

• To create a framework for improved coordination
  of cryospheric observations conducted by
  research, long-term scientific monitoring, and
  operational programmes
• To achieve better availability and accessibility
  of data and information needed for both
  operational services and research
• To strengthen national and international
  institutional structures responsible for
  cryospheric observations
• To increase resources for ensuring the transition
  of research-based cryosphere observing projects
  to sustained observations.

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Main points

• core - CliC (Barry Goodison, VR), - SCAR
  (Colin Summerhayes) group of more than 20
  experts covering all areas of cryosphere
  
• Chair Jeff Key, NOAA/NESDISVice-Chair Mark
  Drinkwater, ESA (also in
  the Ocean Theme)
• Have we engaged the community? Yes, but
  not fully and very unevenly. Not all major
  groups, not all active countries

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Highlights

• 1st IGOS-Cryo Workshop, Kananaskis, Canada, 2-4
  March 2005, supported by CSA, 22 participants

• Outline
• Standards - what is in tables, etc.
• Work docin preparation,last update25.05.05

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• GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas and IGOS-Cryo

Disasters Reducing loss of life and property
from natural and human-induced disasters Direct
subsidence (due to thawing of permafrost and
isostatic rebound from the last Ice Age),
landslides, avalanches, ice, icing, glacier lake
outburst floods, extreme weather snow storms,
Indirect sea level rise consequences, pollution
in sea-ice covered waters, effect of cryosphere
on mitigation, search and rescue operations,
etc...
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• Issues
• Huge diversity of the entity need a very big
  team and to engage all significant
  groups/programs
• Need to build as much as possible a consensus
  between the requirements and possibilities, need
  to add more to what is included in the GCOS IP
• When the draft is ready, we are going to open it
  for open review by the whole cryospheric
  community, insist on having input from major
  groups and individuals and update the
  requirements and recommendations in the report,
  then we have to approach the CEOS and G3OS to
  request an assessment of feasibility - iteration

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• Timeline, main points
• First draft of the report completed 15 Sept 05
• First draft peer-reviewed 30 Oct Sept 05
• CliC SSG reviews the first draft and peer reviews
  15 Nov 05
• Comments included doc presented to CEOS-SIT and
  IGOS-P end November 05
• Document is kept on the website and announcement
  to be made via Cryolist, ArcticInfo, Climlist,
  several mailing lists, other media, directly to
  major research groups to review the document and
  provide input and comments
• Comments received beginning 2006
• Comments and included - before May 2006

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• Needs
• IGOS-Cryo needs input from the solid
  precipitation community! That includes
• Evaluation of measurement capabilities and
  observational gaps (needs vs current
  capabilities geographic temporal, etc.)
• Help writing the Cryosphere Theme Report.
• Workshops
• Need a second workshop to engage Europe more
  (Cambridge?), 4th quarter of 2005, no resources!
• Opportunity emerged for a third workshop in Asia
  (in Japan, via JAMSTEC/JAXA, T. Ohata, F.
  Nishio), March-May 2006, additional contribution
  desirable

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For more information
http//stratus.ssec.wisc.edu/igos-cryo