Snow and Ice
Welcome!!
ENSC 454/654
Contact Info
• Instructor: Stephen Déry
• Office: 8-414
• Office hours: MW 1-2 p.m.
• Phone: 960-5193
• Email: [email protected]
• Course website:
http://cirrus.unbc.ca/454/
Definition
• The cryosphere is the portion of the
earth where natural materials (water,
soil, etc.) occur in frozen form.
• The cryosphere is one of the 5 major
components of the climate system
(along with the atmosphere,
lithosphere, hydrosphere, and
biosphere).
The Climate System
The hydrological cycle
Area and Volume of the Cryosphere
Perennial Ice
Location
Area
(×106 km2)
Volume
(×106 km3)
Sea Level
Equivalent
(m)
Greenland Ice
Sheet
1.7
2.9
7.1
Antarctic Ice
Sheet
13.3
25.4
56.2
Mountain
Glaciers
1.1
0.22-0.38
0.56-0.97
Permafrost/
Frozen Ground
22.8
0.01-0.04
0.03-0.10
Source: Marshall (2012)
Area and Volume of the Cryosphere
Snow and Sea Ice
Location
Min. Extent
(×106 km2)
Max. Extent
(×106 km2)
Mean Extent
(×106 km2)
Arctic Sea Ice
6.6
15.5
11.8
Antarctic Sea Ice
3.0
18.8
12.0
Northern Hemisphere Snow
3.1
46.7
24.9
Southern Hemisphere Snow
13.9
15.1
14.3
Source: Marshall (2012)
Global Distribution of the Cryosphere
Source: Marshall (2012) and Wikipedia
January 2017
Sun.
1 Holiday
Mon.
2 All –
Tue.
3
UNBC
closed
8
9
16
10
23
17
30
Remote
sensing of
snow (guest)
Sat.
5
6
7
11
12
13
14
18
19
20
21
26
27
28
Snowcover
distribution
24
Snowpack
ablation
29
Fri.
Snowfall
formation
Snowcover
distribution
22
4
Thu.
Introduction
Snowfall
formation
15
Wed.
25
Snowpack
ablation
31
February 2017
Sun.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
1 Snow
Thu.
Fri.
Sat.
2
3
4
survey
description
5
6 Mid-
7
8
9
10
11
14
15
16
17
18
23
24
25
term exam
12
13
Break/no
classes
19
20
Break/no
classes
21
Glaciers
(guest)
26
27 Ice
sheets
22
Glaciers
(guest)
28
March 2017
Sun.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
1 Ice
Thu.
2
Fri.
Sat.
3
4
sheets
5
6 Sea ice 7
8 Sea ice 9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
23
24
25
30
31
14
Lake/river
ice
19
26
20
Lake/river
ice
21
22
Permafrost
Permafrost
27 Snow 28
29
survey talks
Climate
change
April 2017
Sun.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Sat.
1
2
3 Climate 4
5 Review 6
7
8
12
14 Good 15
change
9
10
11
13
Friday
16
17 Easter 18
19
20
21
22
26
27
28
29
Monday
23
24
25