Land Surface Processes

Abstract

This chapter presents an analysis of land surface processes such as, snow cover and glaciers dynamics, Greenland Ice Sheet elevation variations and trends, forest-tundra transition zone dynamics and river outflow variability. In the northern hemisphere the mean monthly snow cover ranges from about 7% in midsummer to over 40% of the land area in winter, making snow the most rapidly varying natural surface feature. This variability means that snow is a sensitive indicator of climate change, depending on temperature, precipitation and solar radiation for existence.