Impacts of climate change on snow, ice, and permafrost in Europe: Observed trends, future projections, and socio-economic relevance (ETC/ACC Technical Paper 2010/13)

This paper was elaborated by more than 50 scientists from three dozen research institutions and agencies all over Europe. It provides key messages and graphs supported by thorough and more technical reviews of the corresponding scientific state of knowledge. The paper can help to address the information needs of a wide audience, including policy-makers at the European, national and sub-national level, non-governmental organizations, and the wider public. The analysis of the state of the cryosphere in Europe is based on in-situ and remote sensing observations, and modelling. The paper covers Svalbard, Iceland, Scandinavia, the European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Pyrenees, as well as the Baltic Sea. It assesses the primary impact of climate change on the cryospheric components such as snow cover, glaciers and ice caps, permafrost, lake and river ice, and sea ice; as well as related secondary impacts on avalanches, landslides and rock slope failures, and glacier floods.