| Title | Variability and change in the Canadian Cryosphere |
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| Author | Derksen, C; Smith, S L ; Sharp, M; Brown, L; Howell, S; Copland, L; Mueller, D; Gautier, Y; Fletcher, C; Tivy, A; Bernier, M; Bourgeois, J; Brown, R; Burn, C R; Duguay, C; Kushner, P; Langloisa, A; Lewkowicz, A G; Royer, A; Walker, A |
| Source | Climatic Change vol. 115, issue 1, 2012 p. 59-88, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-012-0470-0  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2012 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20110193 |
| Publisher | Springer Nature |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital; paper |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | British Columbia; Alberta; Saskatchewan; Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; Newfoundland and Labrador; Northwest Territories; Yukon; Nunavut; Canada |
| NTS | 1; 2; 3; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48; 49; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 62; 63; 64; 65;
66; 67; 68; 69; 72; 73; 74; 75; 76; 77; 78; 79; 82; 83; 84; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 92; 93; 94; 95; 96; 97; 98; 99; 102; 103; 104; 105; 106; 107; 114O; 114P; 115; 116; 117; 120; 340; 560 |
| Lat/Long WENS | -141.0000 -50.0000 90.0000 41.7500 |
| Subjects | environmental geology; surficial geology/geomorphology; Nature and Environment; climate effects; climate, arctic; climatic fluctuations; ground temperatures; temperature; permafrost |
| Illustrations | diagrams; graphs; location maps; satellite imagery; photographs |
| Program | Climate Change Geoscience |
| Released | 2012 05 09 |
| Abstract | During the International Polar Year (IPY), comprehensive observational research programs were undertaken to increase our understanding of the Canadian polar cryosphere response to a changing climate.
Cryospheric components considered were snow, permafrost, sea ice, freshwater ice, glaciers and ice shelves. Enhancement of conventional observing systems and retrieval algorithms for satellite measurements facilitated development of a snapshot of
current cryospheric conditions, providing a baseline against which future change can be assessed. Key findings include: 1. surface air temperatures across the Canadian Arctic exhibit a warming trend in all seasons over the past 40 years. A consistent
pan-cryospheric response to these warming temperatures is evident through the analysis of multi-decadal datasets; 2. in recent years (including the IPY period) a higher rate of change was observed compared to previous decades including warming
permafrost, reduction in snow cover extent and duration, reduction in summer sea ice extent, increased mass loss from glaciers, and thinning and break-up of the remaining Canadian ice shelves. These changes illustrate both a reduction in the spatial
extent and mass of the cryosphere and an increase in the temporal persistence of melt related parameters. The observed changes in the cryosphere have important implications for human activity including the close ties of northerners to the land,
access to northern regions for natural resource development, and the integrity of northern infrastructure. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 299690 |
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