The International Glaciological Society (IGS) will prepare a special issue of the Annals of Glaciology with the theme ‘Maritime Glaciers’ in 2022. The issue will be part of Annals Volume 64.
The Associate Chief Editor for this issue will be Shin Sugiyama (University of Hokkaido, Chair)
Scientific editors are: Mark Hopwood (Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China), Emily Eidam (University of North Carolina), Claudine Hauri (University of Alaska Fairbanks), Andy Aschwanden (University of Alaska Fairbanks), Martin Truffer (University of Alaska Fairbanks), Mike Loso (US National Park Service), Andrés Rivera (University of Chile), Michèle Koppes (University of British Columbia), Gwenn Flowers (Simon Frazer University), Etienne Berthier (LEGOS, Toulouse), Liss Andreassen (Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate), Thomas Schuler (University of Oslo), Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir (University of Iceland), Adrian Jenkins (Northumbria University), Jun Uetake (Hokkaido University). Further editors will be appointed as needed.
Schedule for publication:
- 1 April 2022 – Submissions Open
- 31 December 2022 – a ‘flexible‘ deadline for submitting a manuscript to this Annals volume (twelve weeks after the symposium)
- 31 May 2023 – deadline for supplying final accepted paper
- Accepted papers will be published online as soon as authors have returned their proofs and all corrections have been made.
- The completed Annals issue will be available in the latter half of 2023.
THEME
Glaciers in most parts of the world are located well above treeline. However, in maritime climates it’s possible to stand on a glacier and look up at forested valley slopes. Maritime glaciers exist not because of especially cold temperatures, but because of high snow accumulation rates. In places like Southeast Alaska, snow accumulation rates often exceed 5 m per year at high elevations, melting can occur year-round and can exceed 10 m per year at low elevations, and persistent rainfall is a significant component of glacier runoff.
Temperate ice and wet snow are also characteristics of maritime glaciers. Due to their high mass turnover maritime glaciers respond quickly to climate change, and surging glaciers in maritime climates have shorter surge cycles than surging glaciers found elsewhere. A small percentage of maritime glaciers terminate in water, but these glaciers have outsized impacts on sea level rise due to their large size and susceptibility to rapid change.
The glacier-to-ocean distance is generally small for maritime glaciers, and as a result these glaciers constitute a large portion of their respective watersheds, with important consequences for stream temperature and chemistry and adjacent ecosystems. The short glacier-to-ocean distance also means that glacier runoff in these environments strongly affects the physical and chemical oceanography of near-shore waters, which serves as important habitat for fish, such as salmon, marine mammals, and sea birds. Glacier transition into or out of marine systems has profound impacts on fjord circulation, water properties, and ecosystem evolution. Deglaciation of these landscapes also increases the risk of landslides and landslide-generated tsunamis. The rich marine habitat provided in part by glaciers has sustained humans for centuries, and the peoples living along these coastal waters have important stories and legends related to glacier change. Glaciers continue to be an important component of maritime societies, although today the focus is shifting toward ecotourism.
SUGGESTED TOPICS:
We seek papers and presentations that advance the understanding of maritime glaciers and their role in landscape and ecosystem change. Key focus areas include (but are not limited to):
- Instruments and methods for observing high-accumulation, high-melt glaciers
- Glacier hydrology and wet firn
- Glacier runoff and sediment and nutrient export
- Tidewater and lake-calving glaciers
- Glacier–ocean–sediment interactions
- Surging glaciers
- Hazards associated with landscape change: outburst floods, landslides and tsunamis
- Impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems
- Social and indigenous perspectives.
If you have questions about the suitability of your paper for this Annals issue, please contact the Annals Associate Chief Editor Shin Sugiyama: sugishin@lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp.
The Annals of Glaciology is listed on the ‘Web of Science’. Current impact factor is 2.318.
Please note the usual high standards of IGS publications apply, and authors are expected to contribute toward publication of the issue through article processing charges. For further details on article processing charges, please see https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/annals-of-glaciology/information/open-access-information-for-journal-of-glaciology-and-annals-of-glaciology. For information on the preparation of manuscripts for submission, please see https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/annals-of-glaciology/information/instructions-contributors.