The cryosphere—comprising glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice—plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate system. However, climate change is accelerating ice loss, leading to rising sea levels that threaten coastal communities worldwide.
The PROTECT policy brief, supported by CoCliCo and OCEAN:ICE, underscores the need for a coordinated global response. Now is the time to accelerate climate action and invest in sustainable, long-term solutions to protect our coastal regions and freshwater resources.
- Glaciers will keep losing mass, but we decide how fast and how much
- Every glacierized region evolves differently under climate change, and so do the impacts
- Ice shelf ocean melting and iceberg calving control the accelerated mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheet
- Future sea level: the enduring legacy of Antarctic ice loss
- The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing its protective firn buffer, accelerating mass loss.
- Regional sea level change is different from the global average
- Sea level is committed to rise until 2300, but we can influence how much and how fast
- Navigating uncertainty: adapting to sea-level rise with flexible strategies
- Impacts and adaptation strategies for sea-level rise by 2150
- Shaping tomorrow’s coastlines: the long-term impact of sea-level rise
Adapting to the Changing Cryosphere and Rising Sea Levels: Key Messages
- Mitigation is Critical: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can slow down glacier and ice sheet mass loss, preserving essential water resources and giving coastal communities more time to adapt to rising seas.
- Adaptation is Urgent: The impacts on water availability and coastal regions are inevitable, making proactive adaptation strategies essential.
- Regional Variability Matters: Climate impacts vary widely by region, necessitating tailored responses to address specific challenges.
- Uncertainties Are Not Barriers to Action: Despite uncertainties in projections, decision-making frameworks exist to guide effective adaptation strategies.
Adapting to the Changing Cryosphere and Rising Sea Levels: Key Recommendations for Action
1. Integrate Glaciers and Freshwater Resource Modelling
- Over a billion people depend on glacier-fed water systems. Improved hydrological models are needed to predict and manage freshwater availability.
- Governments and research institutions should invest in developing integrated models to ensure sustainable water management.
2. Use Regional Sea-Level Rise Projections for Planning
- Global mean sea-level rise projections mask significant regional variations. In some areas, sea levels may rise up to 20% more than the global average.
- Utilizing tools such as NASA’s sea-level projection tool can aid policymakers in designing localized adaptation strategies.
3. Enhance Monitoring of Ice Sheet Dynamics
- Antarctic and Greenland ice sheet mass loss will contribute to sea-level rise for centuries, even under low-emission scenarios.
- Improved monitoring of processes such as firn buffering, ice shelf melting, and iceberg calving is crucial for refining climate models.
4. Implement Flexible Adaptation Strategies
- Coastal adaptation must incorporate a long-term perspective, considering scenarios beyond 2150.
- Flexible, multi-step decision-making approaches allow for adaptive responses to emerging climate data.
- Innovative solutions, such as floating structures and managed relocation, should be explored as part of long-term coastal resilience planning.
5. Strengthen International Collaboration
- Addressing sea-level rise and cryosphere changes requires global cooperation in research, policy development, and resource allocation.
- Knowledge-sharing initiatives can enhance regional preparedness and response strategies.
A Call to Action
The scientific consensus is clear: immediate and sustained action is necessary to mitigate the loss of ice sheets and glaciers, reduce future sea-level rise, and safeguard communities worldwide. By integrating science-based adaptation strategies and mitigation efforts, policymakers and stakeholders can build resilience against the inevitable changes to our planet’s cryosphere.
