Ice Ice Baby
Snow, Glaciers, Ice Sheets, Ice Shelf, Sea Ice, Ice Caps
What is the largest uncertainty in long-term sea level rise prediction?
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet melt
What are the causes of subsidence?
Groundwater extraction, Oil/gas/coal mining, Tectonics
How long must the ground remain below 0℃ in order to be considered permafrost?
At least two years
What are warm surface currents driven by?
Wind
How do ice shelves collapse?
Warmer water coming into contact with the underside of the ice, melting it from below
Warmer air temperatures
Change in albedo due to melt ponds and change in the amount of snowfall
What has been the largest factor contributing to global sea level rise in the last decades?
Thermal expansion
What is an impact of subsidence?
Increased flood risk, Damage to buildings/infrastructure, Disruption of water management
What is the difference between an ice sheet and an ice cap?
An ice sheet covers more than 50,000 km^2 while an ice cap covers less than 50,000 km^2
What are cold deep currents driven by?
Density differences due to temperature & salinity
What is glacial advancing?
An increase in evaporation that in colder areas will encourage more snowfall.
Which component of the cryosphere is the major contributing factor to global sea level rise?
Glacial Melt
What are the factors leading to local sea level rise?
Post Glacial Rebound
Gravitational Pull
Ocean Circulation
Subsidence
Global Sea Level Rise
What is the cause of most of the problematic land subsidence?
Human Action
What effect does the retreat or advance of a glacier have?
It acts as an ultra-sensitive detector of local or regional climate change.
Name 3 effects of climate change in the cryosphere.
Less ice on land → sea level rise
Weakening of the solubility pump
Melting ice causes more warming → albedo effect
Less snow cover in winter → decreasing supply for freshwater reservoirs
Arctic Amplification → Weakening of the jet stream
Melting permafrost releases greenhouse gas
What are the factors leading to global sea level rise?
Thermal Expansion
Melting Glaciers
Melting Ice Sheets
Net Land Water Storage
How does the gravitational pull of ice sheets affect local sea level rise?
Ice sheets are so large that they have their own gravitational pull that pulls water towards them. When they melt, this attraction is lost, causing the sea level to fall.
Approximately how much of the earth's surface is covered in permafrost?
About 20%
Why was the iceberg that broke away from the Larsen C ice shelf important?
It was the third largest iceberg ever recorded to break off and it indicated a weakening of the ice shelf with a higher chance of collapsing.
Describe the permafrost feedback loop where Atmospheric temperature increases.
Atmospheric temperature increases
Permafrost begins to thaw
Active layer deepens
Previously frozen organic matter defrosts
Ancient organic matter begins to decompose
Carbon and methane are released
Explain the effects of Net land water storage.
Streamflow increase due to groundwater mining
deforestation
urbanization
higher rainfall/floodings
What would happen to the sea level in NY if the AMOC weakened or stopped?
Warm water would no longer be transported north and will remain near the east coast of the U.S causing rapid sea level rise due to thermal expansion
Approximately what percent of global warming goes into heating the oceans?
Over 90%
In a warming world, why do some glaciers advance rather than retreat?
There is more water vapor in the atmosphere as a result of heating and in colder regions this precipitation would occur in the form of snow and therefore there would be opportunity for accumulation