Toward an integrated research agenda for cryospheric change: a socio-glaciology approach

Abstract Non-technical summary As glaciers shrink and disappear, the benefits they provide to people may also be fading. This makes it more important than ever to look closely at how melting glaciers affect both the environment and the communities that depend on them. To truly understand what is being lost- or even gained- we need to study glaciers from many angles. This includes looking at the science of ice and water, the plural value of nature, local politics, and possible future changes. We bring these different aspects under the framework called socio-glaciology. This method looks beyond just economic impacts and includes political ecology and plural valuations to cover knowledge about health, the ability to move or adapt, cultural traditions, local knowledge, and people’s connection to their land. Technical summary As ice retreat undermines glaciers’ contributions to people, there is a pressing need for in-depth analysis of the complex interactions between the glacier environments and the societies living in, and engaging with affected areas in the decades to come. In order to fully understand what is lost, damaged, and even gained, we advocate for a research design that combines glaciology, hydrology, ecosystems services, political ecology, and future scenarios studies. A socio-glaciology approach (SG) can uncover the nuances of non-economic losses, including, but not limited to loss of life, health, technology, human mobility, territory, cultural heritage, and local knowledge. SG as an interdisciplinary framework proposes to study society–glacier interactions as well as values with a circular research design, by integrating local knowledge, experiences, and preferences with more instrumental tools of scientific observations and computer modeling. We argue for reflexivity, meaning that methodologies for understanding glacier change in relation to people should be grounded in local experiences and preferences, while also being relevant and useful for policy, decision-making, and the development of strategies to manage environments and societies of the cryosphere. Social media summary Most research on glaciers has focused on the physiological effects of glacial melt by quantifying the scale of change. We need to bring social science perspectives to identify what these changes actually mean for societies and ecosystem values.