IPY 2007-2008

The International Glaciological Society will hold an International Symposium on ‘Earth’s Disappearing Ice’ in 2010. The symposium will be held in Columbus, Ohio, USA, from 15–20 August 2010.

THEME
One of the most visible indicators of climate change is the response of Earth’s ice cover. Over the second half of the 20th century alpine glaciers worldwide retreated. Satellite observations over the last two decades reveal rapid changes in many outlet glaciers that drain large sections of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Ice-shelf disintegration is becoming more frequent with consequences for the discharge of land-based ice to the oceans. The extent of summer sea ice on the Arctic Ocean is declining and the possibility of ice-free summer conditions well before the end of the century is not outside the realm of possibility. This symposium will focus on the drivers for such changes, the potential feedback and responses of the climate system to these changes and the likely impact that might be expected in response to the ongoing large-scale deglaciation of the planet. An additional goal of the conference is to identify major gaps in our scientific understanding, observational databases, modeling approaches and the need for enhanced human capital and fiscal resources to advance our predictive capability.