Program
- Program
- Inter-association Symposia
This symposium addresses fundamental exchange mechanisms of mass and energy between the cryosphere and the atmospheric boundary layer in snow- and ice-covered regions. The interaction between the near-surface atmosphere and the cryosphere can lead to significant spatial and temporal variations of momentum, mass- and energy exchange as well as complex atmospheric flow patterns that are modulated by complexities in topography and land surfaces. These processes strongly affect the evolution of seasonal snow cover, glaciers, permafrost and sea ice, and drive snow and ice hydrology. We invite contributions on topics including but not limited to:
treatment of turbulent fluxes over snow in models and measurements
advection of energy to snow-covers and glaciers and impact on snow and ice melt
orographically-induced precipitation and preferential deposition of snowfall
wind-induced snow transport and associated sublimation
impact of vegetation on snow/atmosphere interactions
relative influence of precipitation, latent heat transfer, and redistribution on water isotope signals in snow and ice
Studies in level and mountainous terrain are welcome. Those who make observations, run models (coupled, or driven from one side or the other), and develop model parameterizations are encouraged to participate in this session.
Understanding the response of the High Mountain Asia (HMA) cryosphere to climate change is crucial for millions of people living downstream who partly depend on meltwater. Recently, glacier changes have been extensively studied, mostly using satellite data and numerical models. However, changes in snow cover and permafrost still need to be better understood due to insufficient in-situ observations, high-quality reanalysis data, and high-resolution remote sensing data. The response of these cryospheric components to climate change in mountainous regions is not a simple effect of atmospheric heating but depends especially on regional topography, elevation, and local atmospheric influences. Furthermore, limited in-situ glacier mass balance, permafrost, and hydrometeorological observations restrict our understanding of the physical processes governing hydrologic changes. We invite contributions based on remote sensing, in-situ observations, or numerical modeling of cryosphere changes in the HMA. We especially encourage studies integrating atmospheric and cryospheric interactions with remote sensing data and exploring the potential drivers behind observed changes.
Permafrost regions are experiencing climate change at a rate three times faster than the global average. As the climate warms, we observe environmental shifts that lead to permafrost degradation, deeper active layers, and increased greenhouse gas emissions from soil microbial decomposition, along with changes in surface vegetation patterns. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms, especially the potential feedback effects on climate change, remains insufficient. This session seeks presentations encompassing an understanding of permafrost degradation processes, changes in the contemporary carbon cycle, and the reconstruction of paleoclimate and paleoenvironments using frozen soil and ground ice archives. This session also welcomes other pertinent topics to explore interactive processes between climate change and frozen terrestrial environments, ranging from observational studies to modeling endeavors.
Ice cores serve as crucial archives for understanding climates and environments. However, there is an urgent need for high-resolution records dating back from the recent past to further than the last 800,000 years as well as development of new proxies. These advancements will greatly improve our ability to uncover the interconnected relationships and feedback loops within Earth’s climate system. We welcome cutting-edge analytical techniques, novel records and new interpretations, covering a wide range of factors including ancient local and regional temperatures, atmospheric circulations, gas compositions, aerosols, solar activity, ice dynamics, biological productivity, and microorganisms. Additionally, we encourage the integration of ice core data into climate models for a more comprehensive understanding of past climate dynamics.
Ocean-driven melting of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets is accelerating and is a key process contributing to the significant uncertainty associated with estimates of future sea level rise. Ice sheet-ocean interactions range across spatial scales: from the microscale processes governing melt at the ice-ocean boundary layer, through the buoyancy-driven circulation beneath ice shelves and at tidewater glaciers, to large-scale fjord and open ocean circulation patterns; and across a range of timescales: in response to seasonal fluctuations in warm water supply to the ice-ocean front to multi-decadal and centennial oscillations in response to intrinsic ice and ocean dynamic processes. Further, anomalous freshwater from the mass loss of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets is not represented by the majority of coupled climate models, with implications to projections of global climate. Modelling efforts incorporating increased polar freshwater input show a range of physical responses, impacting sea ice at the high latitudes to precipitation in the tropics, and causing surface ocean cooling but deep warming, affecting the ocean circulation. Importantly, these changes in the temperature structure and circulation of the ocean have the potential to feedback onto ice shelf melting. This symposium brings together both ice and ocean researchers as well as global climate modellers working in the areas of interactions between ice sheets, ice shelves, tidewater glaciers, icebergs, the ocean and the broader climate system, across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The session will cover theoretical, observational, and modelling disciplines. Studies that offer new insights and technologies to improve understanding of ice-ocean interactions and their impacts are particularly welcomed.
A symposium convened by the Joint Commission on Ice-Ocean Interactions (JCIOI) and the Southern Ocean Freshwater Input from Antarctica (SOFIA) committee members.
Discussions and field trials of ice and ocean geoengineering - either to reduce rates of sea level rise, or to use the oceans to draw down atmospheric CO2 - are moving forward. That humanity is not ready to operationally deploy any of these possible solutions is clear, and numerous concerns with the current concepts have been raised. However, ocean engineering tests are occurring, and some argue that we should develop ice intervention capabilities, and that these technical approaches must be explored given the cost of addressing almost certain impacts in the global coastal infrastructure. Still others point to what might be learned from pilot ‘active experiments’ in the ocean or on the ice as a way of improving sea level rise forecasts. We offer a forum for presenting and discussing the science and engineering of this emerging debate in the polar science community.
The reaction of sea ice to global climate change is remarkable compared to other geophysical variables. The sea ice coverage occupies approximately 4-9% of the global ocean surface and the associated high albedo of sea ice controls energy interactions between the atmosphere and ocean. Therefore, it is important to observe and monitor sea ice parameters from which its impact on global climate can be examined. Satellite passive microwave observation has provided a majority of broad and consistent information on the spatial distribution of sea ice such as sea ice concentration and extent. In addition, following previous and in-orbit passive microwave sensors, the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) 3 and Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR), which are advanced microwave sensors with much finer ground resolution and additional microwave channels, will become operational in 2024 and 2029, respectively. Beyond such a traditional approach, several innovative methods for estimating other sea ice parameters (e.g., sea ice temperature, type, thickness, drift, snow depth on sea ice, etc.) have been developed recently incorporating various kinds of satellite microwave observations, such as scatterometers, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and radar altimeters. This session aims to highlight recent progress made in microwave remote sensing of the sea ice system including novel methods (e.g., machine learning and multi-satellite synergy), topics related to applications of the remotely-sensed products in climate analysis, data assimilation, climate model assessment, and other interdisciplinary studies.
In recent years, great efforts have been made focusing on deepening our understanding of climate change and its impacts. International programs on both global (e.g., the Future Earth) and regional scales (e.g., the A3 Foresight Program) have been connecting researchers from multidisciplinary fields. The polar region, as one of the most important sensitive areas to climate change and an amplifier of climate change, is crucial for understanding climate change and making strategies. This session explores polar and tropical connections in both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, as well as their seasonal expressions and hemispheric differences. Discussions will be centered on the degree of influence of polar climate change on lower latitudes from observational, modeling, and theoretical perspectives, including influences on mid-latitude and tropical atmospheric dynamics, ocean circulation and sea surface temperature patterns, energy transports, and global warming. Research on polar-induced climate change impacts over lower latitudes (including extreme events, tipping points, etc.), as well as discussions of possible coping strategies for Future Earth are particularly encouraged.
Sea level rise is a significant consequence of climate change, representing an unavoidable and irreversible reality. The rapid depletion of the cryosphere has emerged as the primary catalyst driving recent sea level increases. Accurately assessing the pace, extent, and regional variations of cryospheric thawing is essential for refining future sea level projections in a warming world. Our session aims to elucidate the complex interactions among the cryosphere, atmosphere, ocean, and lithosphere that influence the dynamics of rapid cryospheric changes. We seek to present the latest findings from observational and modeling studies using cutting-edge technologies, contributing to a deeper understanding of these processes. Discussions will encompass variability on various time scales, ranging from paleoclimate to present and future, as well as changes on different spatial scales, from local glaciers to continents. Furthermore, we strive to facilitate substantive discussions on the strategic orientation of research endeavors and the necessity for international collaboration. By consolidating our efforts, we aim to reduce uncertainties in future sea level rise projections, guiding a more resilient course for our planet's future.
Starting with highly simplified representations of atmosphere and ocean dynamics and snow and sea ice physics in the earliest coupled ocean-atmosphere circulation model of Manabe and Bryan in 1969, Earth System Model complexity has substantially increased over time. With better understanding, resolution, model infrastructure and computational resources, the range of physical atmosphere, cryosphere and ocean processes that can be directly represented in Earth System Models has increased, but large uncertainties remain. Processes acting on small spatial scales can benefit from improved parameterisations. Meanwhile, challenges also arise due to the range of timescales upon which different processes in the Earth System act. For this reason, dynamics of ice sheets and glaciers are still often investigated with separate offline models. This symposium will welcome submissions on all aspects of development, evaluation and prediction from the atmosphere, cryosphere and oceans components of Earth System Models, either separately or interacting.
Over the last decades, planetary science has revealed an incredible diversity of atmospheres on the various planetary bodies in our galaxy. Considerable efforts are being made at international level to better understand such diverse atmospheres and surfaces. These efforts encompass a wide variety of research fields: development of remote sensing techniques, space missions for orbiters and in-situ measurements, analysis of remote sensing data, understanding ices/ocean/surface-atmosphere-space interactions, numerical calculations of radiative and dynamical atmospheric processes, understanding of the evolution of these atmospheres and surfaces, comparative planetology studies, and laboratory measurements in support to different planetary conditions. In this session, papers covering these diverse topics will be solicited, providing the community with a comprehensive approach to characterizing these very different atmospheres and surfaces. Submission of Earth studies abstracts on related subjects is encouraged to foster cross-fertilization.
Water in the Earth’s system circulates in various scales in the atmosphere, on the land, in the ocean, and underground, and is changing as climate changes. Climate change likely speeds up the water cycle as warming global temperatures increase the evaporation rate and provide more thermal energy to the atmosphere. Such impacts are not evenly distributed around the world; some areas may experience heavier precipitation whereas other areas may be affected by the accelerated desertification. This session aims to share new findings of multi-scale processes of the hydrological cycles which may be related to the climate change. The main topic of this session includes global circulation, more rain and flooding, more extreme drought, stronger hurricanes, heat waves, and cryosphere changes.
Present and future interactions of weather/climate variability between tropical and polar regions.
Role of atmosphere-ocean-ice-land coupling in the tropical-polar interactions.
Dynamics, modelling, and predictability of the tropical-polar interactions.
Influences of the tropical-polar interactions on mid-latitude weather/climate in current and future climate.
Over recent decades the polar regions have experienced some of the most profound climatic changes on Earth including: rapid regional atmosphere/ocean warming with unprecedented record extremes, changing precipitation amount and phase, decreases in sea ice extent and snow cover, thawing permafrost, and ice-sheet mass loss and disintegration of ice shelves. Understanding the processes and forcings behind these past changes is key to gaining skill and confidence in estimating future change in the climate system. New observations and improvements to observational methods, climate model evaluation against observations, new and old, and improvements in modelling are all critical to achieving this goal. This session will focus on Arctic and Antarctic climate change (on annual to multi-decadal timescales) over the last century and possible changes to come in a world of increasing anthropogenic/climate forcing. We welcome presentations on: changes detected in high latitude in-situ observations; explaining recent trends in sea ice and assessing potential future responses; modelling recent and future climates of the polar regions; high latitude modes of climate variability; impact of tropical climate variability on high latitudes; extreme events and their contribution to underlying climate trends; and the implications of current and future polar change for the rest of the planet.
This session is accepting presentations on recent results from high-latitude field campaigns. These can include any type of campaign (e.g. atmospheric, ice or ocean based). We welcome presentations on IPY and Antarctic InSync proposed projects too.
In the two decades since the establishment of the World Climate Research Program Climate and the Cryosphere Project (CliC) in the 1990's global warming has increasingly resulted in the continued loss of the global cryosphere. Snow, ice and permafrost declines have been documented in the Arctic, Antarctic, high latitudes and high mountain regions. The impacts of this planetary shift towards a dramatically reduced cryosphere include feedbacks on global and local climate as well as direct and indirect local impacts on ecosystems, human societies and the economy. Papers focusing on both detection and attribution of cryospheric loss, as well as the myriad downstream impacts of this change.
Science research and field studies on natural hazards and their impact in the atmosphere, cryosphere, and ocean are the focus of this session. Presentations are welcome on the wide variety of hazards that affect our environment. Rapid warming has caused changes in the cryosphere at unprecedented rates, with significant impacts on landscapes and ecosystems. The atmosphere is witnessing dramatic heatwaves, extreme weather events, and atmospheric rivers - many of which are proving to be costly both from a human lives and economic standpoints. The ocean is experiencing warming, significant changes in sea ice, as well as sea level rise. Risks include avalanches, landslides, lake outbursts, volcano-ice interactions, permafrost thaw, and impacts on mountain communities. Storm damage, flooding, record heat, coastal erosion, cold air-outbreaks, blizzards, changing severe weather regions are additional risks rising from today’s natural hazards.
There is a growing interest in the research and application communities in developing sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S: 2 weeks to a season) and seasonal to decadal (S2D: seasons to a decade) forecasts. This session invites contributions that span all aspects of meteorological and oceanographic prediction in the 2 weeks to a decade time range. The session will include both meteorological and impact studies. Contributions are welcome for studies of phenomena such as the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), ENSO, IOD, AMO, tropical/extratropical waves, ocean-atmosphere coupling, stratospheric variability, and stratosphere - troposphere coupling, in addition to studies of predictability/skill of oceanic,atmospheric or surface variables and case studies of high impact weather events. Contribution regarding impacts studies at the S2S and S2D time-range are welcome, including, but not limited to, the areas of hydrology, health, fire, agriculture, and energy. These can include modeling studies of the impacts right through to presentations of how S2S and S2D-derived information can be integrated into decision support systems at the local, regional and country level. Studies of prediction for marine and terrestrial ecosystems are also highly welcome.
The interaction of trace gases and aerosols across the atmosphere-ice-ocean interface has both direct and indirect impacts on air quality, marine ecosystems, and the climate system at local to global scales. For example, changing a sea-ice environment in the polar oceans affects air-sea exchanges of chemically, biologically, and climatically active trace gases and aerosol particles. Understanding these atmosphere-cryosphere-ocean interactions and how they will evolve with changing climate and precursor emissions/depositions, is a key research area needed. This session is proposed to encourage submission of studies using results from field campaigns, remote sensing, laboratory measurements, and/or modeling to promote our understanding of the biogeochemical interactions across the atmosphere-ice-ocean and their impact on current, past, and future atmospheric sciences and biogeochemical feedback. We also propose to accept studies with various time scales and on all spatial scales (e.g., from the sea surface microlayer to the global ocean), and to discuss open questions and summarize new findings on the interactions above.
Under global warming, sea-level rise is one of the most critical issues in a changing world. As the largest potential contributor to the global sea-level rise, the Antarctic Ice Sheet mainly loses its mass to iceberg calving and basal melting of ice shelves. The retreat of ice shelves is not only susceptible to warming in adjacent water masses but also the unprecedented changes in sea ice and atmospheric forcing. However, substantial uncertainties still surround the response of the ice shelves to the changing climate, leading to confusion among the public and policy-making communities.
Basal melting of ice shelves is determined by interactions between the basal surface of ice shelves and adjacent water masses, including dense shelf water, seasonally warmed surface water, and warm deep water. Dense shelf water is mainly produced by brine rejection from sea ice formation, and coastal sea ice opening in early spring favors the formation of warm surface water. Warm deep water originates from the cross-slope intrusions of Circumpolar Deep Water in the Southern Ocean. Consequently, not only the local atmospheric forcing and sea ice evolution exert a strong influence on ice shelves, but also the remote water mass transformations in the Southern Ocean can threaten the ice shelf stability. However, knowledge of the phenomenon is still lacking due to spare observations, and theoretical understanding is also limited due to poor representations of key processes in numerical models.
This joint session intends to build an improved understanding of the responses of ice shelves to changing climate and how these responses may feed back into the climate system. Contributions concerning the corresponding processes around Antarctica using various approaches are welcome. To keep the joint interest, we particularly encourage contributions focusing on the interactions between ice shelves, ocean, and sea ice in the complex Antarctic climate system.
The Arctic Ocean plays a pivotal role in global climate dynamics, serving as a sensitive barometer of environmental change and a crucial component of Earth's climate system. An increasing ocean heat storage, due to a decreasing Arctic sea ice cover, is one of the main uncertainties in the global Earth energy imbalance, which has nearly doubled in the recent decade. Relative to the global average surface air temperatures, the Arctic region has warmed nearly four times faster over the past four decades. Understanding the complex interplay between Arctic Ocean circulation, sea ice dynamics, and biogeochemical processes is essential for predicting regional and global climate responses to ongoing environmental perturbations. This session invites contributions spanning a spectrum of research topics involving observational, analytical, and modelling process-level to large scale studies, including Arctic Ocean circulation, sea ice dynamics and thermodynamics, physical an biogeochemical interactions, impacts of climate change, cross-disciplinary approaches, and studies of past polar changes, to advance our understanding and prediction of the coupled dynamics of the Arctic Ocean system.
In this joint symposium, we will explore how turbulence, internal waves, and mixing operate at different spatial and temporal scales in the ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere, ranging from small-scale turbulent eddies to large-scale planetary waves. By studying these processes at different scales, we hope to understand their iimpact on climate dynamics, circulation patterns, and environmental balance, as well as their role in shaping the physical and biogeochemical properties of Earth's interconnected systems.
In addition, the symposium will address advances in observational techniques, modeling methodologies, and theoretical frameworks that contribute to our understanding of turbulence, internal waves, and mixing processes. Through interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists and researchers from different fields, we aim to foster innovative approaches and develop comprehensive models that capture the complexity of these phenomena.
Ultimately, this symposium provides a platform to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and promote collaboration among researchers interested in unraveling the mysteries of turbulence, internal waves, and mixing in various domains of Earth's fluid dynamics.
The ocean is indispensable to life on Earth, influencing every facet of our planet. It regulates climate, weather patterns, food production, and more. However, human-made climate change has initiated a planetary crisis, reshaping the ocean’s natural evolution from surface to depth and altering its complex links with other Earth system components. The alarming rate of oceanic climate change, evident through key indicators and consecutive hitting records, coupled with the risk of tipping points, underscores the pressing need for deeper scientific knowledge. This deeper understanding, drawn from a range of sources including paleo proxies, contemporary observations, modelling, and indigenous knowledge, is essential for guiding effective action. Such action includes reversing the ocean health decline through increased stewardship, devising strategies to adapt and mitigate adverse impacts, and evaluating the cost-benefit of ocean-based solutions in combating human-induced climate change. In our session, we will explore the latest developments in monitoring, modelling, analysing the complex and ongoing climate changes occurring in our physical and biogeochemical ocean and their drivers and impacts. We welcome studies from paleo proxies, contemporary observations, modelling to indigenous/local perspectives, from global to local scales, including:
- Physical and biogeochemical changes (e.g. ocean warming, stratification, deoxygenation, acidification, rising sea levels, water mass formation and circulation changes, etc.).
- Mechanisms and drivers behind key ocean climate indicators.
- Future ocean change trends and tipping points.
- Impacts on marine life, biodiversity, and productivity.
- Impacts on society (e.g. alterations in rainfall patterns leading to droughts and floods).
We invite scientists, practitioners, policymakers, stakeholders, and general public around the world to join us for stimulating discussions and knowledge exchange. Let’s deepen our understanding of ocean change science and collaborate to address the urgent challenges facing our ocean and planet.
Compound events are defined as events that occur when a combination of drivers and/or hazards contribute to environmental or societal risks. These phenomena span a wide range of spatiotemporal scales and interaction types, including preconditioning, multiple variables, temporal compounding, and spatial compounding. The compound event concept has been recently adapted to a wider range of domains, including not only the atmosphere and bivariate events but also terrestrial ecosystems, the ocean, the cryosphere and inter-domain linkages. In this session, we welcome contributions that aim to understand their physical drivers, impacts and relevance for risk managing, using both observations and modelling. Submissions that focus on inter-domain linkages, advanced statistical methods, and new modelling approaches, including the use of large ensembles and extreme event attribution, are particularly encouraged.
The recent observations of rapid changes in surface temperatures, diminishing sea ice, and ice sheet alterations in the Antarctic, particularly in West Antarctica, underscore the pressing need to comprehend and address climate change within this region amid global warming. The cryosphere's significant influence on polar climate change, through its complex interactions with the atmosphere and ocean, adds layers of complexity to the evolving polar climate system. These underscore the critical need for a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between the atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere to understand climate change in Antarctica. This session aims to enhance our understanding of Antarctic climate change by synthesizing diverse research findings that highlight the role of atmosphere-ocean-cryosphere interactions in the recent Antarctic climate change. We invite contributions of recent research on these interactions within the Antarctic climate system, from observational data and modeling studies.