From glaciers and permafrost to sea ice and snowpacks, cryosphere decline has multi-faceted impacts for the environment, ecosystems, and society. These impacts span different spatial scales, from the consequences of shifting meltwater production for water resources, to the challenges of sea level rise for low-lying regions. Changing cryospheric land and seascapes, and their associated hazards, also feed into socio-cultural pressures and risk that change the ways in which people interact with and benefit from these environments. Understanding the impacts of cryospheric change across the world’s polar and mountain regions thus requires interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in order to communicate effectively with communities, researchers, the public, industry, and policymakers.
This session provides a platform to discuss the varied consequences of global cryospheric decline and the potential solutions to address them, with a broad and inclusive focus. We invite contributions from a range of topics focusing on the impacts of cryospheric change, including but not limited to: hazards; ecological impacts; resource security; contamination; and changes to environmental systems. Additionally, we welcome case studies that highlight mitigation and adaptation strategies to address cryospheric decline, and examples of communication beyond the scientific sphere. To effectively address the impacts of the loss of cryosphere, natural and social scientists must work together, and in collaboration with stakeholders who live in these regions, so we particularly welcome research that spans disciplinary boundaries and diverse ways of exploring and understanding these changing environments.