Historical and Holocene glacier–climate variations: General concepts and overview

Abstract

This special issue provides an overview of recent research activities concerning past to recent changes in the timing of glacier changes and their linkages to climate. The contributions are based on presentations from two “glacier–climate–cryosphere” sessions co-organized by the EU-funded GLOCHAMORE project (Global Change in Mountain Regions), PAGES (Past Global Changes) and the WGMS (World Glacier Monitoring Service) at the Open Science Conference on “Global Change inMountain Regions” organized by the MRI (Mountain Research Initiative) and held in Perth Scotland, Oct. 2–6, 2005. Covering a wide range of glacier-related topics, the conference sessions and this issue link studies and observations on the Late Quaternary to present in an attempt to bring together scientists and research results, which relate to the increasingly important issue of climate change. Results are presented from throughout the world, underscoring the important role that glacier-related research plays in assessing past and recent variations of the cryosphere and the climate system. Evidence from directly measured observations essentially covering the past century and the rapid and accelerating ongoing changes are collected and assessed by the WGMS. PAGES, on the other hand, maintains its focus on the