Variability and change in the Canadian cryosphere

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.

Air quality monitoring in communities of the Canadian Arctic during the high shipping season with a focus on local and marine pollution

“…Arctic sea ice in Canada has also retreated in recent decades with strong negative trends in the Hudson and Baffin bays (Tivy et al, 2011;Derksen et al, 2012). Vessel transit within the Vessel Traffic Reporting Arctic Canada Traffic Zone (NORDREG) has been observed since 1990.…”

Securing blue wealth: The need for a special sustainable development goal for the ocean and coasts

“…In Arctic coastal regions, for example, climate change is already threatening the livelihoods of indigenous communities. The melting of permafrost and the withdrawal of sea ice in the Arctic directly threaten infrastructure, traditional lifestyles and human well-being in coastal communities, cause increasing coastal erosion, and have adverse effects on sensitive coastal habitats [46], [47], [48].…”

Evidence of recent changes in the ice regime of lakes in the Canadian High Arctic from spaceborne satellite observations

“…In a rapidly changing climate IPCC, 2013;Lenaerts et al, 2013;Woo and Young, 2014), with each of the last 3 decades being successively warmer than any preceding decade (Derksen et al, 2012) and as a result of complex energy exchanges between atmosphere, ocean, and land, the Arctic cryosphere is possibly transitioning towards a new state. As a major feature of the Arctic landscape, lakes, through their ice cover phenology (timing of ice formation, onset of melt, and end of break-up), are a key indicator of climatic changes (Heron and Woo, 1994;Duguay et al, 2006;Williamson et al, 2008) that the high-latitude environment is experiencing.…”