Atmospheric Precipitation and Snow Cover

Abstract

Knowledge about precipitation and its changes in the Arctic is just as important as knowledge about air temperature. This information is needed first of all to correctly estimate the mass balance of the Arctic glaciers and the Greenland Ice Sheet. In turn, the mass balance influences the recession (negative balance) or advance (positive balance) of glaciers. As a result, changes of sea level are observed. Both these processes are very important for natural environment and for human industrial activity. Therefore, during the present period of global warming, due at least partly to human activity, the monitoring of all kinds of ice in the Arctic is crucial. Relying only on temperature investigation, it is difficult to give a credible prediction of the future behaviour of sea ice and land ice. More accurate predictions may be made when tendencies of precipitation are also taken into account.