The Future? Big Questions about Feedbacks between Anthropogenic Change in the Cryosphere and Atmospheric Chemistry

LISA A. MILLER; FLORENT DOMINE; MARKUS M. FREY; DARIO TROMBOTTO LIAUDAT

Advances in Atmospheric Chemistry

Stony Brook University

Lugar: New York; Año: 2021; p. 30 - 50

Anthropogenicallydriven changes in the cryosphere (mainly climate warming, but also land-usechanges and increasing industrial and transportation activities) are changinghow the cryosphere interacts with the atmosphere, which is, in turn,influencing the trajectory of further climate change. In particular, sea ice,snow, and permafrost exchange numerous climatically-active substances with theatmosphere, and the dramatic changes occurring in the distribution andphysical-chemical characteristics of these ice environments have both regionaland global implications. Some of these interactions are reasonably wellunderstood, as documented in a number of the reviews in this book. However,many current and potential future feedbacks between the cryosphere and theatmosphere are very uncertain, and in some cases, even the net directions ofthe feedbacks are largely unknown. Big questions remain about, for example: howthe rates of methane release versus oxidation are changing in warming marineand terrestrial environments; the contributions of cryospheric primary andsecondary aerosols to global and regional atmospheric particle loads and cloudcover; whether, where, and when ecosystem changes are increasing or decreasingCO2 drawdown; and how changes in temperature and light interact incontrolling chemical reactivity on ice surfaces, as well as driving adaptationsin biological communities. Answering these questions will require not only hardwork, but also creativity in conceiving and designing new research programs anddeveloping new technologies. Particular challenges exist in developing robust,autonomous, in situ observation systems for deployment in harsh cryosphericenvironments and in integrating information and ideas across wide time andspace scales, from the molecular processes occurring at ice surfaces to theglobal climate system.