INTER-ASSOCIATION SYMPOSIA [ IACS, IAHS, IAMAS, IAPSO, IAVCEI, IAPSO ]

The first association in the parenthesis is leading the joint symposium

JC02 – Atmosphere-Ocean-Sea Ice Interactions: Local Processes and Global Implications (IACS, IAMAS, IAPSO)

 

Convener: John Cassano (USA, IAMAS)

Co-Conveners: Hiroyuki Enomoto (Japan, IACS), Elisa Manzini (Germany, IAMAS), Matthew Lazzara (USA, IAMAS), James Renwick (New Zealand, IAMAS), Thomas Spengler (Norway, IAMAS), William Perrie (Canada, IAPSO)

 

Description

Changes in the Arctic and Antarctic climate system are strongly related to atmosphere-ocean-ice (AOI) interactions. Phenomena such as the dramatic decrease in sea ice extent in the Arctic over the past 30 years contribute to rapid regional warming through feedbacks between the atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice. On the other hand, Antarctic sea ice variability is internally dominated with no strong multi-decadal trend. Understanding and modelling these variations in the coupled AOI system remains a challenge at both poles. AOI interactions are also associated with synoptic weather systems and mesoscale extreme weather phenomena such as cold air outbreaks, katabatic winds, and polar lows. In the Arctic, for example, sea ice loss is associated with rapid regional warming which is often tightly linked to mid-latitude weather and climate. Arctic sea ice loss may also impact the state of the stratospheric vortex, which in turn can affect the large-scale hemispheric circulation in the troposphere. Furthermore, in the Antarctic, sea ice change may affect ice shelf behaviour and hence could affect sea level change. The representation of these physical processes and interactions at different spatial and temporal scales, however, remains a major challenge for current weather and climate models.

This symposium brings together researchers working in the areas of polar meteorology and oceanography as well as sea ice to focus on physical processes as well as on global change related to the Arctic and Antarctic. Special emphasis is on the coupling between the ocean, ice, and atmosphere and the interactions between the Polar Regions and the large-scale hemispheric and global circulation. Further focus is on processes and parameterizations related to physical exchange, including the influence of sea ice floe-size distribution and sub-mesoscale ocean/sea ice dynamics and thermodynamics. Contributions are welcome dealing with theoretical and observational studies, including remote sensing, as well as studies using numerical models.

JC03 – Mountain Cryosphere Hazards (IACS, IAVCEI)

 

Convener: Marten Geertsema (Canada, IACS)

Co-Conveners: John J. Clague, (Canada, IACS), Michael Krautblatter (Germany, IACS), Lucia Capra (Mexico, IAVCEI)

 

Description

High mountains are currently experiencing some of the largest changes in climate on the planet. Climate warming is driving changes in geomorphic processes operating in mountains, with attendant large impacts on landscapes and ecosystems. This symposium features presentations on the hazards faced by people living and recreating in high mountains, notably avalanches, landslides, debris flows, earthquakes, outburst floods from glacier- and moraine-dammed lakes, volcano-ice interactions, permafrost thaw, and cascading processes. We welcome case studies and contributions featuring state-of-the art tools useful for assessing mountain hazards, including satellite and ground-based InSAR, LiDAR, unmanned aerial vehicles, and modelling using state-of-the art numerical codes.

 

JC04 – Declining Glaciers and Snow Cover and Their Impacts on Downstream Hydrology (IACS, IAHS)

 

Convener: Regine Hock (USA, IACS)

Co-Conveners: Danny Marks (USA, IAHS), Alexander Gelfan (Russia, IAHS)

 

Description

As glaciers and snow cover decline, significant changes in the hydrological regime and biogeochemical properties of streams are expected in catchments with glacier or snow cover. This symposium focuses on new insights into relevant processes, new observational evidence of ongoing changes, as well as advances in our ability to model future runoff in ice and snow-covered basins on all scales from the local to the global scale. Topics include but are not limited to (a) the impacts of glacier and snow cover changes on runoff amounts and seasonality, physical and biogeochemical properties of stream water, and hydrological pathways, (b) trends in river runoff in glacier and snow affected catchment and their causes, and (c) snow-glacier-climate-runoff feedbacks and related physical processes, including the effects of black carbon/aerosols and changing atmospheric drivers on glacier and snow melt runoff.

JC05 – Climate Change Impacts on Arctic Snow, Permafrost, Lake and River Ice (IACS, IAHS)

 

Convener: Chris Derksen (Canada, IACS)

Co-Conveners: Homa Kheyrollahpour (Canada, IACS), Alexandrew Langlois (Canada, IACS), Richard Kelly (Canada, IACS), Claude Dugauy (Canada, IACS), Andrei Kalugin (Russia, IAHS)

 

Description

The terrestrial cryosphere in the Arctic is undergoing rapid change, evident in shorter snow cover and lake ice duration, changing ice regimes and discharge in northern flowing rivers, warming ground temperatures, decreasing ground ice content, and increasing active layer thickness. These changes have inter-connected impacts on, and feedbacks with, energy and freshwater budgets, vegetation dynamics, the carbon cycle, and aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Determining the inter-connected nature of changes to the terrestrial cryosphere, and the ability of climate models to simulate future change pathways will improve understanding of the impacts of climate change on the Arctic.

 

JC06 – Is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Collapsing? - Atmosphere, Ice, and Ocean Interactions Leading to Accelerated Ice Loss (IACS, IAMAS)

 

Convener: Ted Scambos (USA, IACS), Christina Hulbe (New Zealand, IACS)

Co-Conveners: Jan Lenearts (USA, IAMAS)

Invited Speakers: Kiya Riverman  (USA), Pietro Milillo  (USA)

 

Description

The sea level rise potential of West Antarctica is more than 3m, and under some scenarios a rapid increase in ice loss could start before the end of this century. Interactions between atmosphere, ocean, and the ice front have initiated early and dramatic changes to several glacier and ice shelf areas, notably Thwaites Glacier, Pine Island Glacier, and the Getz Ice Shelf. We welcome topics discussing all aspects of this issue, including —

• Ice flow and surface accumulation changes in the past few decades;
• Studies of atmospheric circulation trends, ocean circulation, and relationship to ice loss;
• Analyses of the geophysical setting of the ice: its bed, its margins, or the state of the ice itself;
• Studies of key processes driving ice mass changes, ice front stability, or the ice-ocean interface;
• Records of the decadal, century, and millennial-scale history of the ice sheet and ocean;
• Models of the system that explain past changes or forecast future mass balance of the WAIS.

 

 

JC07 – Gravity-Driven Flows in the Earth System (IACS, IAPSO, IAVCEI)

 

Convener: Jim N. McElwaine (UK, IACS)

Co-Conveners: Dieter Issler (Norway, IACS), Federico Falcini (Italy, IAPSO), Roberto Sulpizio (Italy, IAVCEI)

 

Description

Gravity-driven flows ― subaqueous and subaerial, terrestrial and extra-terrestrial ― occur in a variety of types that nevertheless share many features. There is large potential for improving our understanding of these fascinating and practically important phenomena by comparing experimental data and mathematical modelling approaches across traditional subdiscipline boundaries.

This interdisciplinary symposium therefore aims to summarize our current understanding of, and identify future research challenges in, gravity-driven flows.

 

Contributions are welcomed on the following topics, among others:

• Novel field observations and measurements
• New experimental techniques
• General modelling frameworks for gravity-driven flows at different scales and level of detail
• Mathematical models of specific processes (e.g., flow-regime changes,
  erosion, entrainment and deposition, particle–fluid interaction, turbulence)
• Hazard assessment and mitigation methods

JC08 – Coupling Processes Between the Atmospheric Boundary-Layer and Snow/Ice Surfaces: Observations and Modelling (IACS, IAHS, IAMAS)

 

Convener: Vincent Vionnet (Canada, IACS)

Co-Conveners: Ruzica Dadic (New Zealand, IACS), John Pomeroy (Canada, IAHS), Tobias Jonas (Switzerland, IAHS), Rebecca Mott (Switzerland, IAMAS), Ethan Gutmann (USA, IAMAS)

Invited Speakers: Jessica Lundquist (USA), Kouichi Nishimura (Japan)

 

Description

The symposium addresses fundamental exchange mechanisms of mass and energy between the cryosphere, vegetation and the atmospheric boundary layer in snow-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 vegetation cover. These processes strongly affect the evolution of seasonal snow cover, permafrost, sea ice, vegetation and glaciers and drive snow and ice hydrology.

We invite contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• 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
• Studies in level and mountainous terrain are welcome. We particularly encourage abstracts that propose advances in a) modelling techniques to represent the physics of coupling the atmospheric boundary layer to snow and ice surfaces and b) observational techniques to explore these complex coupling processes.