ICELINK

Summary

Past observations have revealed rapid changes in land ice in the North Atlantic region. Record temperatures, melting ice, and increased freshwater flux may destabilise atmosphere and ocean circulation, with severe consequences on regional weather systems and sea level rise for Europe and beyond.

ICELINK aims to improve our understanding of how North Atlantic glaciers and ice sheets will respond to climate change and how they might impact local climate and ecosystems by bridging the knowledge gap between climate models, ice-flow models, satellite observations and in-situ observations.

A novel approach: ICELINK will integrate Earth Observation data, in-situ observations and ice flow / climate models, using Icelandic glaciers as a data-observation laboratory, to investigate the effect of increasing surface melt on the ice evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet and improve our knowledge about the processes that control glacier evolution and the trends and variability of ice evolution in a warming world.

Armed with a better understanding of snow, surface mass balance and the ice dynamical response to meltwater runoff, ICELINK will provide new knowledge of the response of Icelandic glaciers and the Greenland ice sheet to global warming and the impacts on climate and ecosystems.

These new insights and improved model outputs will feed into: the World Climate Research Programme’s Cryosphere Project, IPCC, and IPBES as well as contribute to the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Destination Earth Initiative.

We will also engage closely with local communities to co-develop and disseminate new knowledge, needed to support adaptation strategies, mitigate risks and enhance their resilience.

ICELINK’s outputs will provide important projections to help local and global communities prepare for the future.