1. Jeff Key NOAA/NESDIS, Madison, Wisconsin

2. IGOS Cryosphere Theme The cryosphere is an integral part of the global climate system, modulating surface energy and moisture fluxes, clouds, precipitation, hydrology, and atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Variability in the cryosphere has broad ranging socio-economic impacts, including land and sea transportation, water resources, sea level change, wildlife, and recreation. The Cryosphere Theme was established by the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) Partners in 2004. OBJECTIVES The Cryosphere Theme addresses observations of snow, solid precipitation, lake and river ice, sea ice, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, permafrost, and seasonally frozen ground. The Theme will create a framework for improved coordination of observations collected by research, long- term monitoring, and operational programmes, achieve better availability and accessibility of cryospheric information for operational services and research, strengthen national and international institutional structures responsible for cryospheric observations, and increase resources for ensuring the transition of research-based observing projects into sustained observations and practical applications. FURTHER INFORMATION Jeffrey Key, (jkey@ssec.wisc.edu) Vladimir Ryabinin (VRyabinin@wmo.int) http://www.igospartners.org BENEFITS The Theme will contribute to assessments of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of changes in the cryosphere by providing scientific input to national and international policy makers. Challenge The challenge of the Cryosphere theme is to determine how observations should be coordinated and developed, and to enhance the observation and monitoring of the cryosphere in support of process studies, model evaluation, and change detection. sea ice frozen groundglaciers ice sheets & ice caps solid precipitation snow lake ice

3. Cryosphere Snow - SWE, depth, extent, state, density, snowfall, solid precipitation, albedo - in-situ climate & synoptic (manual, auto), weather radar, remote sensing Lake and River Ice - FU/BU, thickness, snow on ice - in-situ (shore based), remote sensing Sea Ice - extent, concentration, open water, type, thickness, motion, icebergs, snow on ice - landfast (manual), ship-based & aerial reconnaissance, satellite & airborne reconnaissance Glaciers, Ice Caps, Ice sheets - mass balance (accumulation/ablation), thickness, area, length (geometry), firn temperature, snowline/equilibrium line, snow on ice - ground-based (in-situ), remote sensing Frozen Ground/Permafrost - soil temperature/thermal state, active layer thickness, borehole temperature, extent, snow cover - in-situ (manual, auto), remote sensing (new)

4. Countries Where Cryosphere Occurs 95 countries identified with cryospheric components Cryosphere is global Cryosphere

5. Theme Goals To create a framework for improved coordination of cryospheric observations conducted by research, long-term scientific monitoring, and operational programmes; To achieve better availability and accessibility of data and information needed for both operational services and research; To strengthen national and international institutional structures responsible for cryospheric observations; To increase resources for ensuring the transition of research- based cryosphere observing projects to sustained observations.

6. Main points: core - CliC (Barry Goodison, VR), - SCAR (Colin Summerhayes) group of more than 20 experts covering all areas of cryosphere Chair – Jeff Key, NOAA/NESDIS Vice-Chair – Mark Drinkwater, ESA (also in the Ocean Theme) Have we engaged the community? Yes, but not fully and very unevenly. Not all major groups, not all active countries…

7. Highlights: 1 st IGOS-Cryo Workshop, Kananaskis, Canada, 2-4 March 2005, supported by CSA, 22 participants Outline Standards - what is in tables, etc. Work doc in preparation, last update 25.05.05

8. GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas and IGOS-Cryo Disasters: Reducing loss of life and property from natural and human- induced disasters Direct: subsidence (due to thawing of permafrost and isostatic rebound from the last Ice Age), landslides, avalanches, ice, icing, glacier lake outburst floods, extreme weather – snow storms, … Indirect: sea level rise consequences, pollution in sea-ice covered waters, effect of cryosphere on mitigation, search and rescue operations, etc...

9. Issues: Huge diversity of the entity – need a very big team and to engage all significant groups/programs Need to build as much as possible a consensus between the requirements and possibilities, need to add more to what is included in the GCOS IP When the draft is ready, we are going to open it for open review by the whole cryospheric community, insist on having input from major groups and individuals and update the requirements and recommendations in the report, then we have to approach the CEOS and G3OS to request an assessment of feasibility - iteration

10. Timeline, main points: First draft of the report completed – 15 Sept 05 First draft peer-reviewed – 30 Oct Sept 05 CliC SSG reviews the first draft and peer reviews – 15 Nov 05 Comments included – doc presented to CEOS-SIT and IGOS-P – end November 05 Document is kept on the website and announcement to be made via Cryolist, ArcticInfo, Climlist, several mailing lists, other media, directly to major research groups to review the document and provide input and comments Comments received – beginning 2006 Comments and included - before May 2006

11. Needs: IGOS-Cryo needs input from the solid precipitation community! That includes: –Evaluation of measurement capabilities and observational gaps (needs vs current capabilities; geographic; temporal, etc.) –Help writing the Cryosphere Theme Report. Workshops: –Need a second workshop to engage Europe more (Cambridge?), 4 th quarter of 2005, no resources! –Opportunity emerged for a third workshop in Asia (in Japan, via JAMSTEC/JAXA, T. Ohata, F. Nishio), March-May 2006, additional contribution desirable

12. For more information: http://stratus.ssec.wisc.edu/igos-cryo