There is great concern over the strong response of the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau, also known as the 'three poles', to climate change. The rate of warming in the Arctic, the western Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau is considerably higher than the global average. Therefore, sea Ice, ice sheets, glaciers, etc. in these regions have already lost a lot of mass, and the rate of loss is accelerating. The latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports emphasize the effects of climate change on the cryosphere in these regions subject to multiple and complex physical/chemical feedbacks. These complex multidimensional interactions also enhance the uncertainty of future projections.
Important social and economic implications make ‘three poles’ research a timely and attractive scientific topic. Despite growing interest, scientific research in these areas has always been a challenging endeavor because of the harsh and hazardous environments. A lack of data limits the understanding of the cryosphere and climate change in these regions. With improved observational methods and the development of new models, further insights can be made. This Research Topic will showcase recent progress in our understanding of:
• Characteristics of the cryosphere in the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau;
• Interactions between the cryosphere and other natural systems, e.g. climate, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere etc;
• Implications for global climate of changes to the cryosphere, based on observations and numerical models.
The papers in this Research Topic are expected to contribute to a more thorough understanding of issues in the cryosphere of the “three poles” in the past, present and future. Submissions in, but not limited to, the following research areas, are welcomed:
• Observations of the cryosphere in the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau from various field campaigns and remote sensing, sea ice variability and numerical model predictions;
• Observations and model simulations of the energy and mass balance process;
• Explorations of the ways in which ice interacts with the atmosphere, the ocean, and the global climate system;
• Interactions across multiple and complex physical/chemical feedbacks in the three poles regions and their impacts on current and future global weather and climate.
There is great concern over the strong response of the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau, also known as the 'three poles', to climate change. The rate of warming in the Arctic, the western Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau is considerably higher than the global average. Therefore, sea Ice, ice sheets, glaciers, etc. in these regions have already lost a lot of mass, and the rate of loss is accelerating. The latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports emphasize the effects of climate change on the cryosphere in these regions subject to multiple and complex physical/chemical feedbacks. These complex multidimensional interactions also enhance the uncertainty of future projections.
Important social and economic implications make ‘three poles’ research a timely and attractive scientific topic. Despite growing interest, scientific research in these areas has always been a challenging endeavor because of the harsh and hazardous environments. A lack of data limits the understanding of the cryosphere and climate change in these regions. With improved observational methods and the development of new models, further insights can be made. This Research Topic will showcase recent progress in our understanding of:
• Characteristics of the cryosphere in the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau;
• Interactions between the cryosphere and other natural systems, e.g. climate, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere etc;
• Implications for global climate of changes to the cryosphere, based on observations and numerical models.
The papers in this Research Topic are expected to contribute to a more thorough understanding of issues in the cryosphere of the “three poles” in the past, present and future. Submissions in, but not limited to, the following research areas, are welcomed:
• Observations of the cryosphere in the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau from various field campaigns and remote sensing, sea ice variability and numerical model predictions;
• Observations and model simulations of the energy and mass balance process;
• Explorations of the ways in which ice interacts with the atmosphere, the ocean, and the global climate system;
• Interactions across multiple and complex physical/chemical feedbacks in the three poles regions and their impacts on current and future global weather and climate.
