Dear colleagues,
I'd like to draw your attention to a session on permafrost at the
5th iLEAPS Science Conference: Understanding the impact of land-atmosphere exchanges
11th-14th September 2017, Oxford, UK
http://www.cvent.com/events/5th-ileaps-science-conference/event-summary-412288f4ffc64c1eb7d0f2f151fb5882.aspx
Session C2: Thawing permafrost carbon: a challenge for climate science
The vast amounts of organic carbon locked in frozen soil at high northern latitudes have long been known as a potential source of positive feedback to climate change. However, understanding of the processes and quantification of the potential feedback have been hampered by factors including the difficulty of accessing permafrost terrain, and the high spatial variability and complexity of the physical and biogeochemical processes. Progress has been achieved by combining a range of approaches and spatial scales but most large-scale climate models still do not represent well the fundamental biogeochemical processes of carbon-rich permafrost areas – hence thawing permafrost is recognised as a central issue for two WCRP Grand Challenges ("Melting Ice", "Carbon feedbacks"). This session will provide an overview of recent progress in the quantification, understanding and modelling of permafrost processes and permafrost-related climate feedbacks; identify the most pressing issues in modelling and observation; and discuss avenues for future progress.
Looking forward to meeting you there!
Gerhard Krinner and Douglas Clark
-- Gerhard Krinner CNRS senior scientist, IGE Co-Chair, CliC/WCRP Phone: (+33) (0) 476824242 http://www.ige-grenoble.fr/pages-personnelles/gerhard-krinner/ Physical address: 54 rue Molière, Saint Martin d'Hères, France Postal address: UGA, CS 40 700, 38058 Grenoble cedex 9, France
