Similar to last year, this year’s annual general assembly is fully virtual. But unlike last year, the in-person experience is back! There are short courses, networking events and a website which looks just like the real Vienna Conference Centre. So go and buy yourself a Viennese Sachertorte, brew a batch of coffee and take 5 minutes to look at our top recommendations for vEGU21. vEGU21 – wha ...[Read More]
What to expect from shareEGU20? Tips and tricks from the Cryosphere perspective
Image credit: Daniela Rapavá (distributed via imaggeo).
Despite the current situation, the European Geosciences Union has decided not to give up on its most important event of the year: the EGU General Assembly. While they usually meet in Vienna every late April/early May, geoscientists will meet online this year! This event, called “shareEGU20” gives every interested geoscientist the opportunity to attend the EGU general assembly, free of charge and f ...[Read More]
Vamos a la playa!
Photo by Ian Parker on Unsplash
A new heatwave is currently hitting Europe. In this context, the icy landscapes of the Arctic, Antarctica or the high mountains appear to be the perfect destination to cool down! As this is not necessarily an option for everyone, we alternatively recommend to find the next river, lake, or ocean and jump in, just like the penguins in the picture above! This heatwave is also a clear sign that August ...[Read More]
Image of the Week — Biscuits in the Permafrost
In Svalbard, the snow melts to reveal a mysterious honeycomb network of irregular shapes (fig. 1). These shapes may look as though they have been created by a rogue baker with an unusual set of biscuit cutters, but they are in fact distinctive permafrost landforms known as ice-wedge polygons, and they play an important role in the global climate. Ice-wedge polygons: Nature’s biscuit-cutter In wint ...[Read More]
Image of the Week – The ups and downs of sea ice!
Figure 1: Left - Mean sea-ice extent in September 2016 (month of minimum sea-ice extent) compared to the median ice edge between 1981 and 2010 (pink).
Right- Mean sea-ice extent in March 2017 (month of maximum sea-ice extent) compared to the median ice edge between 1981 and 2010 (pink). [Credit: Image courtesy of the National Snow and Ice Data Center]
The reduction in Arctic sea-ice cover has been in the news a lot recently (e.g. here) – as record lows have been observed again and again within the last decade. However, it is also a topic which causes a lot of confusion as so many factors come into play. With this Image of the Week we will give you a brief overview of the ups and downs of sea ice! In general, Arctic sea ice is at its minim ...[Read More]
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the blog of the EGU Cryosphere Division. This blog aims to spread the enthusiasm for ice in all its forms – from snow, glaciers and ice sheets, to ice crystals, extra-terrestrial ice bodies and isotopic ice composition. The blog will feature stories related to cryospheric research, particularly the latest in fieldwork programmes, research projects and scientific results. With ...[Read More]