International Symposium on Snow, Ice and Humanity in a Changing Climate

THEME

Snow and ice in the natural environment are facing drastic changes under the influence of rapidly changing global and regional climates. Since snow and ice play crucial roles in cold regions, such changes have substantial impacts on human societies and activities. For example, the amount of snowfall and the duration of seasonal snow cover have been affected in many places, with consequences for the water resources and avalanche risks. Thawing permafrost causes destruction of infrastructure, and formation of glacier-dammed lakes poses potential hazards in mountainous regions. On the other hand, reduction of the summer sea-ice extent in the Arctic creates new possibilities to use open water as a sea route for commercial vessels.

This symposium focuses on recent changes in the cryospheric components (snow, glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, sea ice, lake ice, river ice) with respect to their influence on humanity. We invite contributions related to these subjects in a broad sense, including ground-based observations, remote sensing, laboratory experiments, numerical modelling, data compilations and analyses, risk management and social impact assessment. Topics are not restricted to present-day issues, but also extend to paleo-environmental records, as they are important for understanding the present and predicting the future. The conference will bring together researchers engaged in different fields of cryospheric science in order to discuss interactions of snow and ice with humanity in the past, present and future.

TOPICS

1. Land ice and snow including: snow cover, glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, snow and glacier melt

2. Ice and snow in the hydrosphere including: sea ice, ice shelves, icebergs, river and lake ice.

3. Hazards and social problems related to snow and ice including: snow avalanches, glacier-dammed lake

outbursts, permafrost thawing, snow and ice accretion, blowing snow, snow removal

4. Use of snow and ice including: snow-air conditioning, tourism, teaching materials, recreation

5. Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment including: ice-core records, past glaciation, glacilacustrine and glacimarine deposits, subglacial and proglacial sediment-landform record.

6. Prediction of changes in the cryosphere including: arctic sea ice, area and property of snow cover, glacier advance and retreat, sea level change

Land ice and snow including: snow cover, glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, snow and glacier melt

2. Ice and snow in the hydrosphere including: sea ice, ice shelves, icebergs, river and lake ice.

3. Hazards and social problems related to snow and ice including: snow avalanches, glacier-dammed lake

outbursts, permafrost thawing, snow and ice accretion, blowing snow, snow removal

4. Use of snow and ice including: snow-air conditioning, tourism, teaching materials, recreation

5. Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment including: ice-core records, past glaciation, glacilacustrine and glacimarine deposits, subglacial and proglacial sediment-landform record.

6. Prediction of changes in the cryosphere including: arctic sea ice, area and property of snow cover, glacier advance and retreat, sea level change

Ice and snow in the hydrosphere including: sea ice, ice shelves, icebergs, river and lake ice.

3. Hazards and social problems related to snow and ice including: snow avalanches, glacier-dammed lake

outbursts, permafrost thawing, snow and ice accretion, blowing snow, snow removal

4. Use of snow and ice including: snow-air conditioning, tourism, teaching materials, recreation

5. Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment including: ice-core records, past glaciation, glacilacustrine and glacimarine deposits, subglacial and proglacial sediment-landform record.

6. Prediction of changes in the cryosphere including: arctic sea ice, area and property of snow cover, glacier advance and retreat, sea level change

Hazards and social problems related to snow and ice including: snow avalanches, glacier-dammed lake

outbursts, permafrost thawing, snow and ice accretion, blowing snow, snow removal

4. Use of snow and ice including: snow-air conditioning, tourism, teaching materials, recreation

5. Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment including: ice-core records, past glaciation, glacilacustrine and glacimarine deposits, subglacial and proglacial sediment-landform record.

6. Prediction of changes in the cryosphere including: arctic sea ice, area and property of snow cover, glacier advance and retreat, sea level change

Use of snow and ice including: snow-air conditioning, tourism, teaching materials, recreation

5. Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment including: ice-core records, past glaciation, glacilacustrine and glacimarine deposits, subglacial and proglacial sediment-landform record.

6. Prediction of changes in the cryosphere including: arctic sea ice, area and property of snow cover, glacier advance and retreat, sea level change

Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment including: ice-core records, past glaciation, glacilacustrine and glacimarine deposits, subglacial and proglacial sediment-landform record.

6. Prediction of changes in the cryosphere including: arctic sea ice, area and property of snow cover, glacier advance and retreat, sea level change

Prediction of changes in the cryosphere including: arctic sea ice, area and property of snow cover, glacier advance and retreat, sea level change