Ice and Climate Research

Period of Project: 1993 to present

Chief: Edward G. Josberger

Location: Northwestern U.S. and Alaska

Purpose:

(1) Understand the role of snow and ice masses in the hydrologic cycle, and the complex interactions that take place between snow and ice and the global climate system. (2) Obtain this understanding through a combination of field measurements; passive, active, and visual satellite and aircraft remote-sensing observations; and analysis of long-term climatic records. (3) Analyze the field measurements, which provide essential in situ information to understand the remotely sensed data. (4) Continue to extend the 37-year record of winter and summer mass balances at South Cascade Glacier. (5) Determine the regional, continental, and global distributions of the key components of the hydrologic cycle by remote sensing techniques. (6) Develop new approaches, algorithms, and processing schemes, and implement and verify established techniques in new situations. (7) Analyze climate change with satellite records that approach 20 years in length.