Hydrologic Cycle and Its Role in Arctic and Global Environmental Change: A Rationale and Strategy for Synthesis Study

摘要

The arctic system constitutes a unique and important environment with a central role in the dynamics and evolution of the earth system. The Arctic is inherently a highly dynamic system. Yet there is mounting evidence that it is now experiencing an unprecedented degree of environmental change. Many of these changes are linked to the arctic hydrologic cycle and are quite possibly the result of both the direct and indirect impacts of human activities. Despite the importance of this issue, the current state of the art cannot adequately establish these potential linkages to global change. Understanding the full dimension of arctic change is a fundamental challenge to the science community over the coming decades and will require a major new effort at interdisciplinary synthesis. It also requires an unprecedented degree of international cooperation.