Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1.6.
Time series and linear trend in September Arctic sea ice extent over the
1979-2011 period (from NSIDC, Boulder, CO). (See plate section for color version.)
Figure 1.7.
Anomalies in
satellite-derived snow cover
extent for the Northern
Hemisphere over the 1967-
2012 period (from NSIDC,
courtesy Rutgers University
Snow Laboratory). (See plate
section for color version.)
and Siberia (e.g., Romanovsky et al.,
2010a
; Romanovsky, Smith, and Christiansen,
2010b
), but with large variability from region to region and for different parts of the
records. In some areas, permafrost is thawing. Northern Hemisphere snow cover
extent is decreasing during May and June (when snow cover is mainly located in the
Arctic) (Derksen and Brown,
2012
) (
Figure 1.7
).
The changing Arctic climate system is leading to countless impacts and human
responses (ACIA,
2005
). Changing sea ice and snow cover conditions affect
the ability of indigenous peoples to hunt marine and land mammals and to herd