Implications of Climate Change for Northern Canada
The Physical Environment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10886901 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Terry D Prowse (Environment and Climate Change Canada, corresponding author), Christopher Furgal (0000-0002-2930-314X, Environment and Climate Change Canada, corresponding author), Chris Furgal, Humfrey Melling (0000-0002-0215-317X, Environment and Climate Change Canada, corresponding author), Sharon L Smith (0000-0002-0059-094X, Environment and Climate Change Canada, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 266-271 |
| Publication date | 2009-07-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AMBIO (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0044-7447 • E-ISSN: 1654-7209 |
| Publisher | Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (PUBLISHER • SE) |
| DOI | 10.1579/0044-7447-38.5.266 |
| PMID | 19714959 |
| OpenAlex | W2174737590 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 5 |
The physical environment of the Canadian North is particularly sensitive to changes in climate because of a large concentration of cryospheric elements including both seasonal and multiyear forms of freshwater and sea ice, permafrost, snow, glaciers, and small ice caps. Because the cryosphere responds directly to changes in air temperature and precipitation, it is a primary indicator of the effects of climate variability and change. This article reviews the major changes that have occurred in the recent historical record of these cryospheric components at high latitudes in Canada. Some changes have been less pronounced in the Canadian North than elsewhere, such as changes in sea-ice coverage, whereas others have been potentially more significant, such as ablation of the extensive alpine and high-Arctic small glaciers and ice caps. Projections of future changes are also reviewed for each cryospheric component. Discussion about two other physical components of the North intrinsically linked to the cryosphere is also included, specifically: i) freshwater discharge to the Arctic Ocean via major river networks that are fed primarily by various forms of snow and ice, and ii) the related rise in sea level, which is strongly influenced by ablation of the cryosphere, and coastal stability, which also depends on the thermal integrity of coastal permafrost
Antarctic sea ice · Arctic · Arctic ice pack · Climate change · Climatology · Cryosphere · Geography · Geomorphology · Glacier · Permafrost · Physical geography · Sea ice · Snow · Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics · Climate change and permafrost · Cryospheric studies and observations · Environmental Science · Geology · Oceanography
Vulnerability of Aboriginal health systems in Canada to climate change
Implications of Climate Change for Economic Development in Northern Canada
Ice roads and income in remote indigenous communities of Canada
A necessary voice
Institutions, indigenous peoples, and climate change adaptation in the Canadian Arctic
(Un)frozen foundations
Ecological Implications of Changes in the Arctic Cryosphere
Mapping Human Dimensions of Climate Change Research in the Canadian Arctic
Regional Assessment of GCM-Simulated Current Climate over Northern Canada
Interannual Variability of Landfast Ice Thickness in the Canadian High Arctic, 1950-89
Climate change and global water resources
Climate Impacts on Northern Canada
General Features of the Arctic Relevant to Climate Change in Freshwater Ecosystems
| Citations per year | 0.47 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2009 - 2025 (17) |
| Highly cited | No |