11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
[L03-02] Perspectives on human geoscience in the context of climate change in the Arctic
★Invited Papers
Keywords:global warming, cryosphere, hydrological cycle, social impact, interdisciplinary research
The Arctic region is the most rapidly warming region on Earth. For this reason, domestic and international interdisciplinary research on “climate change” has been particularly advanced in the 21st century, and social practices involving various stakeholders are being promoted to cope with the emerging effects of environmental change. In other words, it can be regarded as a representative new development area of geo-anthroposphere science.
The phenomenon is characterized by significant changes in the cryosphere (snow, ice, and frozen ground), as evidenced by the significant decrease in the sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean over the past several decades, especially in the summer months. Along with these decreasing trends in snow and ice, the Arctic hydroclimate system has also been dramatically changing, with modulations in all elements of the hydrological cycle, including precipitation, evaporation, river runoff, and atmospheric moisture transport. However, the complex interactions among these elements and the response of the hydrologic cycle to climate change contain large uncertainties and remain a geoscientific challenge. For example, sea ice reduction and precipitation changes are significantly altering water transport patterns in the Arctic. Regional extremes in anomalous precipitation, aridity, and snow cover changes may represent another phase of Arctic warming. These changes in the hydrological environment, accompanied by regional surface environmental changes, are essential elements that can be linked to climate change impacts.
Climate warming and wetting will cause changes in terrestrial landscapes, biophysical properties, biogeochemical cycles, and chemical transport, which will affect the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. These changes have been noted to have the potential to affect Arctic biodiversity. In addition, climate change in the Arctic is having a significant impact on the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. The impacts are manifesting themselves in various ways, including increased risks to infrastructure and water resource planning, health impacts, and threats to livelihoods based on biological resources. In particular, increased winter rainfall has negatively impacted reindeer and other herbivores by forming ice on the land surface and preventing grazing. Permafrost thawing also damages the stability of infrastructure and affects economic activities.
Climate change research in the Arctic involves a variety of disciplines, including atmospheric variability analysis, atmosphere-land-ocean interactions, satellite remote sensing, permafrost observations, regional climate model simulations, land surface process modeling, climate projections using global climate models, aerosol impact assessment, and observation and modeling of biosphere greenhouse gas budget. The main feature is the collaboration of experts from various fields based on one major project (e.g., GRENE-Arctic, ArCS, and ArCS II in the case of Japan). Combining this expertise with social science knowledge can lead to a holistic understanding of the interaction between climate change and the hydrological cycle in the Arctic, more accurate climate prediction, and appropriate countermeasures based on this understanding, but the practice has only just begun, and further collaboration is expected in the future.
The phenomenon is characterized by significant changes in the cryosphere (snow, ice, and frozen ground), as evidenced by the significant decrease in the sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean over the past several decades, especially in the summer months. Along with these decreasing trends in snow and ice, the Arctic hydroclimate system has also been dramatically changing, with modulations in all elements of the hydrological cycle, including precipitation, evaporation, river runoff, and atmospheric moisture transport. However, the complex interactions among these elements and the response of the hydrologic cycle to climate change contain large uncertainties and remain a geoscientific challenge. For example, sea ice reduction and precipitation changes are significantly altering water transport patterns in the Arctic. Regional extremes in anomalous precipitation, aridity, and snow cover changes may represent another phase of Arctic warming. These changes in the hydrological environment, accompanied by regional surface environmental changes, are essential elements that can be linked to climate change impacts.
Climate warming and wetting will cause changes in terrestrial landscapes, biophysical properties, biogeochemical cycles, and chemical transport, which will affect the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. These changes have been noted to have the potential to affect Arctic biodiversity. In addition, climate change in the Arctic is having a significant impact on the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. The impacts are manifesting themselves in various ways, including increased risks to infrastructure and water resource planning, health impacts, and threats to livelihoods based on biological resources. In particular, increased winter rainfall has negatively impacted reindeer and other herbivores by forming ice on the land surface and preventing grazing. Permafrost thawing also damages the stability of infrastructure and affects economic activities.
Climate change research in the Arctic involves a variety of disciplines, including atmospheric variability analysis, atmosphere-land-ocean interactions, satellite remote sensing, permafrost observations, regional climate model simulations, land surface process modeling, climate projections using global climate models, aerosol impact assessment, and observation and modeling of biosphere greenhouse gas budget. The main feature is the collaboration of experts from various fields based on one major project (e.g., GRENE-Arctic, ArCS, and ArCS II in the case of Japan). Combining this expertise with social science knowledge can lead to a holistic understanding of the interaction between climate change and the hydrological cycle in the Arctic, more accurate climate prediction, and appropriate countermeasures based on this understanding, but the practice has only just begun, and further collaboration is expected in the future.