Scientist, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU)
Assistant Professor of Meteorology, Utrecht University
E-mail:
Vice-Chairman I Prof. Martin Sharp
Dept. of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
University of Alberta
E-mail:
The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) already concluded in 2004 that the Arctic is warming rapidly in an amplification of the global rise in temperature. Obviously this conclusion leads to an immediate concern for the huge ice masses stored in the Arctic, in the Greenland Ice Sheet and in the circumpolar ice caps and glaciers.
The ice caps and glaciers of the Arctic are currently reacting strongly to climate change, causing a significant contribution to sea level rise. The Greenland ice sheet has in recent years surprised the research community by exhibiting a large-scale synchronous accelerating mass loss on the time-scale of a few years, rather than centuries as previously assumed.
The IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology, formed out of the Working Group on Arctic Glaciology, aims to address these rapid changes in arctic ice masses by initiating scientific programs and facilitating international cooperation between glaciologists and climate modelers in order to develop the understanding of arctic land ice and its role in global climatic and environmental change.
When: January 10-13, 2012
Where: Zieleniec, Poland
The IASC-NAG workshop which took place in Zieleniec Poland from January 10-13, 2012 focused on topics related primarily to glaciology, oceanography, and climatology.
A major focus of the workshop related to glacier dynamics was towards documenting, modeling, and discussing future directions of research related to understanding how tidewater glaciers are likely to respond to climate warming. A special session focused on discussing future directions related to tidewater glacier research was held at the end of the 2nd day of the workshop.
The diverse array of subject matter presented at this workshop provided a multi-disciplinary perspective on glaciological themes including dynamics, hydrology, and mass balance. These studies contribute significantly to understanding the dominant factors controlling the current mass balance and dynamics of Arctic glaciers which is crucial for predicting how polar ice caps will respond to future climate warming.
Chairman I Dr. Carleen Tijm-Reijmer
Vice-Chairman I Prof. Martin Sharp