European Geosciences Union
Division on Cryospheric Sciences
President: Olaf Eisen (cr@egu.eu)
Deputy President: Carleen Tijm-Reijmer
(c.h.tijm-reijmer@uu.nl)
The Cryosphere are those parts of the Earth and other planetary bodies that are subject to prolonged periods of temperatures below the freezing point of water. These include glaciers, frozen ground, sea ice, snow and ice. One of the main aims of the EGU Division on Cryospheric Sciences is to facilitate the exchange of information within the science community. It does so by organizing series of sessions at the annual EGU assembly, and through the publishing of the open-access journal `The Cryosphere’. The division awards the Julia and Johannes Weertman medal for outstanding contributions to the science of the cryosphere.
The 2021 Julia and Johannes Weertman Medal is awarded to Martyn Tranter for his outstanding fundamental contributions in the innovative and emerging field of glacial biogeochemistry, leading to the paradigm shift in recognizing bio-albedo effects.
The 2021 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Christine L. Batchelor for her contributions to cryospheric sciences by her studies on glacial history and palaeo-ice sheet reconstructions.
The 2020 Julia and Johannes Weertman Medal is awarded to Julienne C. Stroeve for her fundamental contributions to improved satellite observations of sea ice, better understanding of causes of sea ice variability and change, and her compelling communication to the wider public.
The 2020 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Anna E. Hogg for outstanding research in the field of satellite remote sensing of the cryosphere and her contributions to science communications.
Glaciers are mostly made of water. Sometimes, perhaps more than we’d like, some of that water makes a break for it by melting, the inconstant molecule… It might pootle around on the surface of the glacier a bit and get a lot of remote sensers very excited, but it’s what it does once it gets to the base of the glacier that really matters for the behaviour and flow of the ice. So, in 2000 words or so, here’s an …
As a New Englander interested in weather, I was used to a fairly intuitive air temperature split between rain and snow. Once air temperature got slightly above freezing, I’d commonly see rainfall with snowfall more frequent below freezing. Then something happened when I moved to the Intermountain West of the United States. Instead of seeing rain when it was slightly above freezing, I’d see snow at seemingly paradoxically warm air temperature values, sometimes exceeding 4°C or 5°C (as shown on …
Getting data from the Arctic is often difficult and expensive – instead, stand on the shoulders of giants and investigate over 6000 datasets preserved for future download and reuse in the Arctic Data Center! Read on for more information about the Arctic Data Center and the data contained therein. The Arctic Data Center is the primary data repository for the Arctic section of the US National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Office of Polar Programs. We’re best known in the research community …
Hidden below the surface of some glaciers, liquid water can be found within what is called the firn layer – the upper layer of a glacier where snow compacts into glacier ice. Liquid water may persist there for up to many years, forming what scientists call “firn aquifers.” While observations of seasonal firn aquifers have existed since the mid to late 1900s in several mountain glaciers, recent studies discovered more significant and persistent firn aquifers along the perimeter of the …
In February The Loupe celebrates this month’s three successful missions to Mars, including the unique science and symbolism of the first Arab mission to the Red Planet. Because the data from this mission will be openly shared, it lets all scientists embark on an exciting journey to explore the secrets of our neighbouring planet’s atmosphere together. This issue features three EGU divisions: Geosciences Instrumentation and Data Systems (GI), Planetary and Solar System Sciences (PS), and Solar-Terrestrial Sciences (ST).
The Loupe also highlights everything you need to know about the vEGU21 scientific sessions, 5 key new initiatives the Union implemented in 2020, and two blogs with lighthearted tips for a greener EGU21 and some lessons you can take from this year’s virtual General Assembly to make your in-person conferences greener.
In addition to the latest Journal Watch and GeoRoundup of February EGU journal highlights, this issue also looks at what Union leaders hope they can achieve in the next few years and tackles the ‘rotten’ topic of how Europe should deal with its waste.