T2-5 From land to ocean: Hydrological, coastal, nearshore and upper shelf processes in Polar Regions

Hydrological processes in the polar regions include snow redistribution, sublimation and melt, soil freezing and thawing, subsurface water flow in partially frozen soil, cold water evaporation, ice melt, and runoff.  The interaction between these elements affects the delivery of water, sediment, contaminants and dissolved solids to northern rivers, coastal regions and oceans.  Arctic shelf seas represent about half of the Arctic Ocean and 25% of the entire world ocean shelves whilst the Arctic drainage contains a large area of ungauged basins where hydrological inputs to the coasts and shelves are very uncertain..  Changing precipitation regimes and storminess, rising air and water temperatures, degradation of permafrost and glaciers, variations in snow cover and freshwater flow to the oceans, increasing coastal erosion, sea level rise, and dramatic changes in sea ice will lead to the rapid rearrangement of already dynamic systems in northern river basins, at the land-sea interface, and on the upper continental shelves. Because they are globally important and changing rapidly, it is imperative to improve prediction of these systems based on an understanding of the underlying processes.  This session encourages submissions on recent developments in the dynamics, prediction and process understanding of northern hydrology, investigation of biogeochemical and energy exchanges at the land-ocean interface from the coast to the upper shelves and studies dealing with the coastal environment.