The Polar Regions contain an unusually broad diversity of volcanism (e.g. subduction-related continental-margin volcanism, oceanic volcanic arcs, mid-ocean ridges, etc.). Polar volcanic studies are crucial for a holistic understanding of the paleoenvironmental, paleoclimatic and geological evolution of our planet, in space and in time. Products of polar volcanism are outstanding probes of the Earth’s inaccessible lithospheric interior, they accurately record Earth’s past climatic changes and the volcanic heat produced by subglacial and MOR eruptions has the potential to modulate cryosphere behavior and influence future global change. At the same time, climate change and the present warming is reducing snow, ice cover, and permafrost from volcanoes, not only in polar areas, but around the whole planet. This cryosphere reduction leads to changes in the hydrological balance and removes mass from volcanoes. Consequences are changes to water resources, increased slope instability (e.g. landslides), depressurization of magmatic systems and changes to hydrothermal systems. Regional deglaciation has affected volcanoes in the past providing complex records of volcano-ice interactions. However, we are far from understanding these and more local deglaciation processes and how today’s climate change will affect volcanoes in general, and polar volcanic activity in particular.

In this session, we invite contributions discussing recent advances in all aspects of Polar volcanism and studies on present and past climate change on active and dormant volcanoes. We aim to bring together scientists from glaciology, volcanology and geomorphology to host a broad-spectrum discussion at any scale. Of particular interest is volcanism and environmental development, including the growth and stability of ice sheets and documenting the Polar hothouse world. Additionally, we invite contributions involving conceptual, numerical or analogue simulations of volcanic response to deglaciation aimed to come up with a simplified coherent model for volcano deglaciation to be used as a basis for dialogue between the scientific community and administrators from affected areas.