Cryospheric Sciences

Geosciences Column: The complex links between shrinking sea ice and cloud cover

Laura Roberts-Artal December 2, 2016

Sea ice breaking on the Chukchi Sea, Barrow, July 2014

Sea Ice . Credit: Scott Davidson (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The global climate system is complex. It is composed of, and governed by, a plethora of interconnect factors. Solar radiation, land surface, ice cover, the atmosphere and living things, as well as wind and ocean currents, play a crucial role in the climate system. These factors are intricately connected; changes to some can have significant effects on others, leading to overall consequences for th ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: White rainbow in the Arctic

Laura Roberts-Artal November 28, 2016

“Above the foggy strip, this white arch was shining, covering one third of the visible sky in the direction of the ship's bow,” he explains. “It was a so-called white, or fog rainbow, which appears on the fog droplets, which are much smaller then rain droplets and cause different optic effects, which is a reason of its white colour.”

Gateway to the Arctic . Credit: Mikhail Varentsov (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Despite heading into the long polar night – the time when the sun doesn’t shine in the globe’s most northerly latitudes and when temperatures drop and thick sheets of sea ice form -the Arctic is reported to be 20° C warmer than average for this time of year. Never has it been more important to understand the effects of climate change on Polar Regions. Mikhail Varentsov, a climate and meteor ...[Read More]

GeoEd: A round-up of (geo)educational board games

Laura Roberts-Artal November 23, 2016

Playing the Wiapuna board game in the final class. Credit: T. Ewen and J. Seibert, 2016.

With the rise of electronic games – those played on computers, consoles and even on mobile phones – you’d be forgiven for thinking the humble board game would be slowly making its way into the history books. Nothing could be further from the truth! Sales of board games are on the up, as are cafes where you can gather to play table-top games of your choice, and board game meet ups: regular gaming g ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Why does a Norwegian glacier look blue?

Kay Helfricht October 24, 2016

Blue Svartisen . Credit: Kay Helfricht (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

This picture shows the outlet glacier Engabreen running down from the plateau of Svartisen in Norway. Svartisen ice cap comprises two glacier systems of which the Vestre (western) Svartisen is Norway’s second largest glacier. Located right at the polar circle, Svartisen covers a total of 369 km² of the Nordland region. These coastal mountains accumulate a snowpack of 5-7 m depth through the winter ...[Read More]