Atmospheric drivers of Greenland surface melt revealed by self‐organizing maps

Mioduszewski, J.; Rennermalm, Å. K.; Hammann, A. C.; Tedesco, Marco; Noble, Erik; Stroeve, Julienne; Mote, Thomas L.

doi:10.1002/2015jd024550

Cited by 43 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…This study joins an existing body of research describing the synoptic atmospheric conditions associated with GrIS surface mass loss. Previous studies have detailed the roles of blocking high‐pressure systems (Hanna, Jones, et al, ; Hanna et al, ; McLeod & Mote, ; Mioduszewski et al, ) and warm air advection by extratropical cyclones (McLeod & Mote, ; Mote, ; Schuenemann & Cassano, ) in forcing ice sheet melt. We propose that moisture transport by ARs is a complementary and interrelated mechanism affecting GrIS SMB rather than a distinct phenomenon.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The SOM classification method has become increasingly common in the atmospheric sciences due to its usefulness in linking patterns of large‐scale atmospheric variability to their finer‐scale local and regional effects (Harman & Winkler, ; Hewitson & Crane, ). Several recent studies (e.g., Cassano et al, ; Mioduszewski et al, ; Schuenemann et al, ; Schuenemann & Cassano, , ; Skific et al, ) have used SOMs to analyze the impacts of synoptic atmospheric variability across the Arctic and Greenland. While most of these studies characterized the synoptic circulation by applying SOM classifications to atmospheric pressure or geopotential height, a few recent studies (Radić et al, ; Swales et al, ; M16) have shown that SOMs can also be used to directly categorize IVT patterns.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Atmospheric River Impacts on Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance

2018

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Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) mass loss has accelerated since the turn of the twenty‐first century. Several recent episodes of rapid GrIS ablation coincided with intense moisture transport over Greenland by atmospheric rivers (ARs), suggesting that these events influence the evolution of GrIS surface mass balance (SMB). ARs likely provide melt energy through several physical mechanisms, and conversely, may increase SMB through enhanced snow accumulation. In this study, we compile a long‐term (1980–2016) record of moisture transport events using a conventional AR identification algorithm as well as a self‐organizing map classification applied to MERRA‐2 data. We then analyze AR effects on the GrIS using melt data from passive microwave satellite observations and regional climate model output. Results show that anomalously strong moisture transport by ARs clearly contributed to increased GrIS mass loss in recent years. AR activity over Greenland was above normal throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, and recent melting seasons with above‐average GrIS melt feature positive moisture transport anomalies over Greenland. Analysis of individual AR impacts shows a pronounced increase in GrIS surface melt after strong AR events. AR effects on SMB are more complex, as strong summer ARs cause sharp SMB losses in the ablation zone that exceed moderate SMB gains induced by ARs in the accumulation zone during summer and in all areas during other seasons. Our results demonstrate the influence of the strongest ARs in controlling GrIS SMB, and we conclude that projections of future GrIS SMB should accurately capture these rare ephemeral events.

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Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric River Impacts on Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance

2018

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“…Fettweis et al [32] used a circulation type classification to show that since 2003, phases with a negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index occurred more frequently in summer, leading to increased northward transport of warm air to west Greenland, explaining an estimated 70% of the recent summer warming. Mioduszewski et al [70] developed a summer Arctic synoptic climatology by applying self-organizing maps to daily 500-hPa geopotential height fields of the Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications reanalysis (MERRA, 1979-2014). The study confirms that the largest positive GrIS melt anomalies occur in concert with strong northward transport of heat and moisture.…”

Section: Large-scale Atmospheric Circulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Loss: Recent Developments in Observation and Modeling

Broeke

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Fettweis

et al. 2017

Curr Clim Change Rep

108

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Surface processes currently dominate Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) mass loss. We review recent developments in the observation and modeling of GrIS surface mass balance (SMB), published after the July 2012 deadline for the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5). Since IPCC AR5, our understanding of GrIS SMB has further improved, but new observational and model studies have also revealed that temporal and spatial variability of many processes are still poorly quantified and understood, e.g., bio-albedo, the formation of ice lenses and their impact on lateral meltwater transport, heterogeneous vertical meltwater transport ('piping'), the impact of atmospheric-circulation changes and mixed-phase clouds on the surface energy balance, and the magnitude of turbulent heat exchange over rough ice surfaces. As a result, these processes are only schematically or not at all included in models that are currently used to assess and predict future GrIS surface mass loss.

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“…Analysis of mid-tropospheric summer (JJA) sea level pressure (SLP) reveal statistically significant increases over Greenland and north of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago coupled with significant negative trends over northern Eurasia and Canada from 1979 to 2014 (Serreze et al, 2016;Bezeau et al, 2015), dominated by a clear shift in the last decade (2005 to 2014) towards large positive SLP anomalies over the central Arctic Ocean and Greenland. This pattern favors both summer sea ice loss (e.g., Wang et al, 2009;Ogi and Wallace, 2007) and Greenland surface melt (Hanna et al, 2013;Mioduszewski et al, 2016;Ballinger et al, 2017). Additionally, advection of warm and humid air masses appears to be the primary factor initiating sea ice melt onset (MO) (Boisvert and Stroeve, 2015;Mortin et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the local-scale influence of sea ice on Greenland surface melt

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Rapid decline in Arctic sea ice cover in the 21st century may have wide-reaching effects on the Arctic climate system, including the Greenland ice sheet mass balance. Here, we investigate whether local changes in sea ice around the Greenland ice sheet have had an impact on Greenland surface melt. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between sea ice concentration, the timing of melt onset and open-water fraction surrounding Greenland with ice sheet surface melt using a combination of remote sensing observations, and outputs from a reanalysis model and a regional climate model for the period of 1979-2015. Statistical analysis points to covariability between Greenland ice sheet surface melt and sea ice within Baffin Bay and Davis Strait. While some of this covariance can be explained by simultaneous influence of atmospheric circulation anomalies on both the sea ice cover and Greenland melt, within Baffin Bay we find a modest correlation between detrended melt onset over sea ice and the adjacent ice sheet melt onset. This correlation appears to be related to increased transfer of sensible and latent heat fluxes from the ocean to the atmosphere in early sea ice melt years, increasing temperatures and humidity over the ice sheet that in turn initiate ice sheet melt.

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Atmospheric drivers of Greenland surface melt revealed by self‐organizing maps

Cited by 43 publications

References 78 publications

Atmospheric River Impacts on Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance

Atmospheric River Impacts on Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance

Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Loss: Recent Developments in Observation and Modeling

Investigating the local-scale influence of sea ice on Greenland surface melt

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