An agenda for the future of Arctic snow research: the view from Svalbard

Christian Zdanowicz; Jean-Charles Gallet; Rosamaria Salvatori; Eirik Malnes; Ketil Isaksen; Christiane Hübner; Eleanor  Jones; Heikki Lihavainen

doi:10.33265/polar.v42.8827

Christian Zdanowicz Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;
Jean-Charles Gallet Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6153-1361
Rosamaria Salvatori Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy
Eirik Malnes Division for Energy & Technology, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Bergen, Norway https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9824-9696
Ketil Isaksen Division for Model and Climate Analysis, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, Norway https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2356-5330
Christiane Hübner SIOS Knowledge Centre, Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, Longyearbyen, Norway
Eleanor Jones SIOS Knowledge Centre, Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, Longyearbyen, Norway
Heikki Lihavainen SIOS Knowledge Centre, Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, Longyearbyen, Norway

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v42.8827

Keywords: Glacier mass balance, ecosystem, snowpack chemistry, remote sensing, modelling, focal sites

Abstract

The Arctic region is warming at over twice the mean rate of the Northern Hemisphere and nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979. The local rate of warming is even higher in the European archipelago of Svalbard. This warming is transforming the terrestrial snow cover, which modulates surface energy exchanges with the atmosphere, accounts for most of the runoff in Arctic catchments and is also a transient reservoir of atmospherically deposited compounds, including pollutants. Improved observations, understanding and modelling of changes in Arctic snow cover are needed to anticipate the effects these changes will have on the Arctic climate, atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems and socioeconomic factors. Svalbard has been an international hub of polar research for many decades and benefits from a well-developed science infrastructure. Here, we present an agenda for the future of snow research in Svalbard, jointly developed by a multidisciplinary community of experts. We review recent trends in snow research, identify key knowledge gaps, prioritize future research efforts and recommend supportive actions to advance our knowledge of present and future snow conditions pertaining to glacier mass balance, permafrost, surface hydrology, terrestrial ecology, the cycling and fate of atmospheric contaminants, and remote sensing of snow cover. This perspective piece addresses issues relevant to the circumpolar North and could be used as a template for other national or international Arctic research plans.

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