A Bare Ice Field in East Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, Caused By Horizontal Divergence of Drifting Snow

Takahashi, Shuhei; Naruse, Renji; Nakawo, Masayoshi; Mae, Shinji

doi:10.1017/s0260305500006479

Cited by 48 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…Again further east, we encounter the ablation areas of the Queen Fabiola Mountains on Mizuho Plateau (profile 3). According to the model, the ablation areas between 2100 and 2700 m asl are mainly caused by snowdrift erosion (Figure 5d), in agreement with an earlier study [ Takahashi et al , 1988]. Lower along the profile, snowdrift deposition results in large SSMB gradients (see also Figure 4e), in agreement with in situ stake observations [ Watanabe , 1997].…”

Section: Ssmb Profiles Through Selected Ablation Areassupporting

confidence: 90%

Identification of Antarctic ablation areas using a regional atmospheric climate model

Broeke¹,

Berg²,

Meijgaard³

et al. 2006

J. Geophys. Res.

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The occurrence of Antarctic ablation areas in Dronning Maud Land, the Lambert Glacier Basin, Victoria Land, the Transantarctic Mountains and the Antarctic Peninsula is realistically predicted by the regional atmospheric climate model RACMO2/ANT, with snowdrift‐related processes calculated offline. Antarctic ablation areas are characterized by a low solid precipitation flux in combination with strong sublimation, snowdrift erosion and/or melt. The strong interaction between atmospheric circulation and topography plays a decisive role in the precipitation distribution and hence that of ablation areas. Three types of Antarctic ablation areas can be distinguished, all occurring in dry regions: Type 1 is the erosion‐driven ablation area, caused by 1‐D and/or 2‐D divergence in the katabatic wind field at high elevations (2000–3200 m asl). Type 2 is the sublimation‐driven ablation area. This type occurs at lower elevations (<2000 m) preferably at the foot of steep topographic barriers, where temperature and wind speed are high and relative humidity low. Type 3 represents the melt‐driven ablation area, occurring in the northern Antarctic Peninsula. Combinations of types 1/2 and 2/3 are possible. Over the period considered here (1980–2004), no significant trend is found in the total area covered by Antarctic ablation areas, which equals about 2% of the total ice sheet surface (including ice shelves).

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Section: Ssmb Profiles Through Selected Ablation Areassupporting

confidence: 90%

Identification of Antarctic ablation areas using a regional atmospheric climate model

Broeke¹,

Berg²,

Meijgaard³

et al. 2006

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…In addition, the sublimation of the suspended snow particles adds to this removal. The fourth process is the wind-induced erosion or redeposition of transported snow particles from one location to another (Takahashi et al, 1988). Snow particles can be dislodged from the snow surface, picked up by the wind and lifted from the ground into the near-surface atmospheric layer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The combination of blowing snow sublimation and transport is estimated to remove from 50 to 80 % (van den Broeke, 1997;Frezzotti et al, 2004;van den Broeke et al, 2008;Scarchili et al, 2010) of the accumulated snow on coastal areas. Moreover, removal of the snow by the wind can locally lead to the formation of blue ice areas (Takahashi et al, 1988;Bintanja et al, 1995), which have a lower albedo and therefore enhance surface melt, and could affect ice shelf stability and collapse (Lenaerts et al, 2017). Blowing snow also plays a role in determining snow surface characteristics (Déry and Yau, 2002), affecting surface energy balance (Yamanouchi and Kawaguchi, 1985;Mahesh et al, 2003;Lesins et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blowing snow detection from ground-based ceilometers: application to East Antarctica

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Blowing snow impacts Antarctic ice sheet surface mass balance by snow redistribution and sublimation. However, numerical models poorly represent blowing snow processes, while direct observations are limited in space and time. Satellite retrieval of blowing snow is hindered by clouds and only the strongest events are considered. Here, we develop a blowing snow detection (BSD) algorithm for ground-based remote-sensing ceilometers in polar regions and apply it to ceilometers at Neumayer III and Princess Elisabeth (PE) stations, East Antarctica. The algorithm is able to detect (heavy) blowing snow layers reaching 30 m height. Results show that 78 % of the detected events are in agreement with visual observations at Neumayer III station. The BSD algorithm detects heavy blowing snow 36 % of the time at Neumayer (2011Neumayer ( -2015 and 13 % at PE station (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016). Blowing snow occurrence peaks during the austral winter and shows around 5 % interannual variability. The BSD algorithm is capable of detecting blowing snow both lifted from the ground and occurring during precipitation, which is an added value since results indicate that 92 % of the blowing snow is during synoptic events, often combined with precipitation. Analysis of atmospheric meteorological variables shows that blowing snow occurrence strongly depends on fresh snow availability in addition to wind speed. This finding challenges the commonly used parametrizations, where the threshold for snow particles to be lifted is a function of wind speed only. Blowing snow occurs predominantly during storms and overcast conditions, shortly after precipitation events, and can reach up to 1300 m a.g.l. in the case of heavy mixed events (precipitation and blowing snow together). These results suggest that synoptic conditions play an important role in generating blowing snow events and that fresh snow availability should be considered in determining the blowing snow onset.

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“…Blowing snow is possibly a factor in the radiative balance of the Antarctic Plateau. Also, because downslope katabatic winds are present nearly all the time over the plateau, blowing snow is transported to large distances and in great quantities, redistributing precipitation [e.g., Takahashi et al, 1988] and in extreme instances leading to negative mass balance at the surface, resulting in blue-ice fields [e.g., van den Broeke and Bintanja, 1995].…”

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confidence: 99%

Observations of blowing snow at the South Pole

et al. 2003

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[1] Observations of blowing snow from visual observers' records as well as ground-based infrared and lidar measurements at South Pole Station are analyzed to obtain the first climatology of blowing snow over the Antarctic Plateau. Occurrence frequencies of blowing snow, wind direction and speed during blowing snow events, typical snow layer heights, as well as optical depths are determined. Blowing snow is recorded in roughly one third of the visual observations and occurs under a narrow range of wind directions. Blowing snow layers are usually less than 400 m in thickness but can exceed 1000 m. During blowing snow conditions, these near-surface layers are apparent in lidar backscatter profiles. These layers emit radiances similar to those from optically thin clouds frequently seen over the Antarctic Plateau. Because the near-surface blowing snow layers are frequently present, they are a factor in space-borne laser altimetry and other satellite remote sensing.

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A Bare Ice Field in East Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, Caused By Horizontal Divergence of Drifting Snow

Cited by 48 publications

References 8 publications

Identification of Antarctic ablation areas using a regional atmospheric climate model

Identification of Antarctic ablation areas using a regional atmospheric climate model

Blowing snow detection from ground-based ceilometers: application to East Antarctica

Observations of blowing snow at the South Pole

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