The Arctic cryosphere is the epicentre of acute global change – it is turning “blue” (ice free). Abrupt Arctic warming and amplification – four times the planet’s mean rate since the 1980s – is driving rapid sea ice decline and accelerating deglaciation of Greenland. The wider consequences for the planet and society are profound, and yet, model-based projections of these vary considerably and lack validation. The key challenge for humanity is how a blue Arctic will respond to and drive an increasingly warmer future climate.
Solving this “Arctic Challenge” requires beyond state-of-the-art empirical and numerical knowledge on how the cryosphere evolved under Arctic greenhouse climate conditions during the geological past
We invite contributions that apply a holistic approach to (1) quantify Arctic cryosphere changes in a warmer world using geological records, (2) provide in-depth understanding of dynamics of Arctic cryosphere and ocean changes through new numerical simulations, and (3) determine the impact of Arctic change on the ocean biosphere, climate extremes and society.