The cryosphere and its changes are important for the sustainability of the human community. Particularly, regarding large river basins at continental scales, the cryosphere of Eurasian water towers plays a pivotal role in curbing community risks in the Eurasia and many other parts of the Northern Hemisphere for the 21st and 22nd centuries.
In recent years, remote sensing technologies have been widely employed in studying the features of Eurasian water towers. There is a soaring interest by the world-wide scientific community to develop Digital Twin Earth models (DT) for accurately reproducing the state of evolution of physical process through high-fidelity computer models, with the aim of understanding and evaluating them under changing conditions and of simulating their behavior. Yet these applications were not able to realize their full potential in terms of data storage, analysis, and visualization, due to the explosive growth of geospatial datasets. The emergence of cloud computing platforms overcomes this hurdle, which allows researchers around the world to have the same computing power in real time.
This Research Topic will provide a conveyor for cloud-based studies on the cryosphere of Eurasian water towers and is expected to promote research related to cryospheric changes on Eurasian water towers with cloud computing platforms and enhance the understanding of the rapidly changing cryosphere of Eurasian water towers.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research Articles and Reviews in the following directions:
• Mapping of spatial and temporal distribution patterns of cryospheric elements in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Central Eurasian mountains, the Sayan and Changbai mountains, the Da, Xiao, and Outer Xing’anling (Stanovoy) mountains, the Yablonovy Mountains, and the Khenti Mountains
• Impacts of the changes in cryospheric elements on the regional ecology and water resources
• Reciprocal feedbacks of Eurasian water towers to atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere
• Impacts of various environmental disturbances (e.g., fire, spread of pests and diseases) on permafrost, glacial, proglacial, and periglacial (landscape) ecology of Eurasian water towers
• Impacts of regional climate and environmental changes on permafrost
• Projects, progress, and prospects of cloud-based computing platforms in studying the cryosphere and Eurasian water towers
• Hazard mapping and changes analysis of Eurasian water towers
The cryosphere and its changes are important for the sustainability of the human community. Particularly, regarding large river basins at continental scales, the cryosphere of Eurasian water towers plays a pivotal role in curbing community risks in the Eurasia and many other parts of the Northern Hemisphere for the 21st and 22nd centuries.
In recent years, remote sensing technologies have been widely employed in studying the features of Eurasian water towers. There is a soaring interest by the world-wide scientific community to develop Digital Twin Earth models (DT) for accurately reproducing the state of evolution of physical process through high-fidelity computer models, with the aim of understanding and evaluating them under changing conditions and of simulating their behavior. Yet these applications were not able to realize their full potential in terms of data storage, analysis, and visualization, due to the explosive growth of geospatial datasets. The emergence of cloud computing platforms overcomes this hurdle, which allows researchers around the world to have the same computing power in real time.
This Research Topic will provide a conveyor for cloud-based studies on the cryosphere of Eurasian water towers and is expected to promote research related to cryospheric changes on Eurasian water towers with cloud computing platforms and enhance the understanding of the rapidly changing cryosphere of Eurasian water towers.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research Articles and Reviews in the following directions:
• Mapping of spatial and temporal distribution patterns of cryospheric elements in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Central Eurasian mountains, the Sayan and Changbai mountains, the Da, Xiao, and Outer Xing’anling (Stanovoy) mountains, the Yablonovy Mountains, and the Khenti Mountains
• Impacts of the changes in cryospheric elements on the regional ecology and water resources
• Reciprocal feedbacks of Eurasian water towers to atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere
• Impacts of various environmental disturbances (e.g., fire, spread of pests and diseases) on permafrost, glacial, proglacial, and periglacial (landscape) ecology of Eurasian water towers
• Impacts of regional climate and environmental changes on permafrost
• Projects, progress, and prospects of cloud-based computing platforms in studying the cryosphere and Eurasian water towers
• Hazard mapping and changes analysis of Eurasian water towers
