CIRES Science at #AGU16
Talks and posters by CIRES scientists, events and more CIRES @ #AGU16
Click for daily highlights:
THURSDAY MORNING
Impacts of Climate Change on Rainfall, Seasonal Flooding, and Evapotranspiration in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (GC41B-1091, poster)
Bronwen Konecky, CIRES/CU Boulder. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana is known for its unique annual flood pulse, whereby the wetland and its neighboring river systems are inundated with waters that travel nearly 1000 km before reaching this subtropical, semi-arid destination. But anthropogenic climate change is reducing the amount of water that reaches the delta. Bronwen Konecky presents an analysis of the water cycle around the Delta and discusses the larger implications for the southern African continental interior.
FirnCover: Observations on the Evolution of Firn Compaction, Firn Temperatures and Porosity in the Interior of the Greenland Ice Sheet (C41E-0729, poster)
Michael MacFerrin, CIRES/CU Boulder. As Greenland warms, increasing amounts of summer meltwater are changing the behavior of snow and firn in high-elevation regions of the ice. Michael MacFerrin presents data from the Firn Compaction Verification and Reconnaissance (FirnCover) network in Greenland, a system that provides real-time measurements and observations across Greenland’s interior.
How Climate Change Affected US Impacts of the 2015-16 El Niño (A41L-07)
Martin Hoerling, NOAA, with CIRES co-author
09:30 - 09:45, Moscone West 3006
Possible contributing factors to the unusually dry U.S. Southwest winter of 2015-16 include El Niño driving, global ocean forcing, and human-induced climate change. The El Niño event was among the strongest of the last century, and seasonal forecasts called for abundant rains in the Southwest. However, November-April 2016 precipitation was low and the prevailing multiyear drought instead intensified. Martin Hoerling gives an explanation for this observed winter precipitation.
Sustained Reduction of Total CO2 -equivalent Emissions of Chlorofluorocarbons and Their Substitutes from the US (A41J-08)
Lei Hu, CIRES/NOAA
09:46 - 09:58, Moscone West 3008
CFCs and HCFCs are ozone-depleting substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol. HFCs were considered longterm substitutes for CFCs and HCFCs because they do not destroy ozone, but all of them are potent greenhouse gases. The rapidly expanding usage of HFCs raises concerns about their climate impacts. NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network measures these substances from more than 30 sites within the continental U.S. and around the globe. Lei Hu examines these observations for the period of 2008-2014.
Observing the Cloud Response to Arctic Sea Ice Loss (C42B-01)
Ariel Morrison, CIRES/CU Boulder
10:20 - 10:35, Moscone West 3007
Observed sea ice loss since 1979 is the most visible signal of anthropogenic Arctic warming. But while the influence of clouds on Arctic sea ice is known, the influence of sea ice loss on Arctic clouds is challenging to detect and has never been isolated. Ariel Morrison presents data that isolate the cloud response to sea ice loss from cloud changes due to atmospheric circulation.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON
EMAG2-v3: A new global compilation of lithospheric magnetic anomalies. (GP43A-1210 poster)
Brian Meyer, CIRES/NOAA. Magnetized rocks in shallow parts of Earth’s crust and upper mantle can induce distortions or “anomalies” in the otherwise smooth magnetic field from the Earth’s core. In 2009, NOAA released a global compilation of lithospheric magnetic anomalies, the Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid at 2 arc minute resolution (EMAG2). Since then, CIRES and federal scientists in the National Centers for Environmental Information have added over 51 million points of magnetic data and produced a new version of EMAG2 (v3). Brian Meyer summarizes improvements in EMAG2 (v3).
Evidence for Increasing Desiccation of Vegetation in Greenland? (GC43B-1157, poster)
Jeffery Thompson, CIRES/CU Boulder. The Arctic has experienced both an increase in average temperature and a decline of seasonal snow-cover, leading to longer growing periods. Jeffery Thompson delves into the relationship between changes in snow seasonality, changes in the growing period, and the influence of these phenomena on the vegetation cycle and productivity in Greenland.
Historical Tsunami Effects near the Tonga Trench from 1837-2015 (NH43B-1858, poster)
Nicolas Arcos, CIRES/NOAA
American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga are vulnerable to large locally and regionally sourced tsunamis, and also to tsunamis generated around the Pacific Ocean. NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information and the co-located World Data Service for Geophysics provide long-term archive, data management, and access to national and global tsunami data. Nicolas Arcos describes the Global Historical Tsunami Database and documents the history of tsunamis near the Tonga Trench from 1837-2015.
CHARIS (Contribution to High Asia Runoff from Ice and Snow) Lessons Learned in Capacity-Building for Hydrological Sciences with Asian Partner Communities (PA43A-2183, poster)
Mary Brodzik, National Snow and Ice Data Center, CIRES/CU Boulder. Funded by USAID, Mary Broadzik and her colleagues are systematically assessing the role of glaciers and seasonal snow in the freshwater resources of High Asia to better forecast future availability and vulnerability of water resources in the region. They work with Asian partner institutions in eight nations across High Asia.
TYNDALL LECTURE: Earth from Space: The Power of Perspective (GC43H-01)
Waleed Abdalati, Director of CIRES, CU Boulder
14:40-15:40, Moscone West 2022/2024
In 1960, with the launch of the first weather satellite, TIROS, we came to know our world in ways that were not possible before, as we saw the Earth as a system of interacting components. Satellites have helped us understand our changing planet in ways that would not have otherwise been possible, but we must move beyond simply watching Earth processes unfold and understanding the underlying mechanisms of change, to anticipating future conditions, more comprehensively than we do today. CIRES Director Waleed Abdalati speaks about the potential of our space-based perspective of Earth.
Supporting, Evaluating, and Planning Avalanche Control Efforts with Lidar-Derived Snow Depth Map (C44A-04)
Jeffrey Deems, National Snow and Ice Data Center, CIRES/CU Boulder
16:45 - 17:00, Moscone West 3005
Ground-based lidar mapping can be used to support avalanche control operations. Jeffrey Deems presents results from two ongoing pilot projects in collaboration with Arapahoe Basin Ski Area and the Colorado Department of Transportation. Applications of the lidar-derived snow depth data products include targeting of explosive rounds, planning of explosives delivery tramway locations, and evaluation of results from Gazex applications.