CliC's Implementation Strategy identified six key scientific questions to focus CliC's efforts:
- What are the magnitudes, patterns and rates of cahnge in the terrestrial cryosphere on seasonal-to-century time scales? What are the associated changes in teh water cycle?
- What will be the contibution of the cryosphere to changes in global sea level on decadal-to-century time scales?
- What will be the nature of changes in sea-ice distribution and mass balance in both polar regions in response to climate change and variability?
- What will be the impacts of changes in the cryosphere on atmospheric and oceanic circulation? What is the likelihood of abrupt or critical climate and/or Earth system changes resulting from processes involving the cryosphere?
- How do monitored changes in the cryosphere reflect the variability and change in the climate system? How can these monitored changes be combined with proxy or paleo-records and the results of modelling studies to improve our understanding of climate change?
- What elements of climate predictability over a range of time scales involve the cryosphere and associated processes and how can we increase the predictive skill of long-range forecasting techniques through the use of cryosphere data, information, and modelling?
The Implementation Strategy is targeted at finding solutions to key scientific questions and to building capacity in the areas of cryospheric monitoring, process studies, data management and access, and modelling. In addition, it seeks effective ways to communicate results to policy and decision-makers and other non-scientific users.
Noting the diversity of cryospheric components, and the fast pace of scientific and technical development, it is effective to address the key scientific questions and major cryospheric domains through the development of “CliC Science Themes”. The themes provide a basis for assessing scientific progress in each field and for recommending and initiating research needed to improve understanding of the cryosphere/climate system.