Effects of multiple reflection and albedo on the net radiation in the pack ice zones of Antarctica

Wendler, Gerd; Moore, Blake; Hartmann, Brian; Stuefer, Martin; Flint, Richard Foster

doi:10.1029/2003jd003927

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…The increase in diffuse solar radiation is attributed not only to the broken cloud conditions but also to the multiple reflection between surface and heterogeneous cloud fields. Under these conditions, the plane-parallel cloud approximation cannot satisfactorily describe radiative transfer (Wendler et al, 2004;Schade et al, 2007). In particular, it is well known that horizontal photon transport can lead to periods with enhanced solar radiation, where values of the global transmittance can exceed the clear-sky values or even unity for some moments (Schade et al, 2007).…”

Section: Broken Clouds Case -8 June 2017mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Arctic is a focal point for studying the response of the climate system to anthropogenic forcings (Johannessen et al, 2004). This region is experiencing a rate of warming of surface temperature which exceeds the global average by a factor of 2 (Winton, 2006;IPCC, 2013). This leads to thinner (Haas et al, 2008;Lindsay and Zhang, 2005), younger (Maslanik et al, 2007) and less extensive (Serreze et al, 2007) sea ice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study also highlights that the largest enhancement occurs with a thick cloud or under fog conditions. More recently, based on shipborne surface radiation measurements, Wendler et al (2004) investigated the effects of multiple reflections for stratus clouds and found an increase of 85 % of incoming global radiation over the highly reflective surface than over the open ocean. In this study, the authors also emphasize the difficulty of understanding multiple reflection processes and recommend supplementary datasets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation introduced by clouds over Arctic sea ice

et al. 2020

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Abstract. The role of clouds in recent Arctic warming is not fully understood, including their effects on the solar radiation and the surface energy budget. To investigate relevant small-scale processes in detail, the intensive Physical feedbacks of Arctic planetary boundary layer, Sea ice, Cloud and AerosoL (PASCAL) drifting ice floe station field campaign was conducted during early summer in the central arctic. During this campaign, the small-scale spatiotemporal variability of global irradiance was observed for the first time on an ice floe with a dense network of autonomous pyranometers. A total of 15 stations were deployed covering an area of 0.83 km×1.59 km from 4–16 June 2017. This unique, open-access dataset is described here, and an analysis of the spatiotemporal variability deduced from this dataset is presented for different synoptic conditions. Based on additional observations, five typical sky conditions were identified and used to determine the values of the mean and variance of atmospheric global transmittance for these conditions. Overcast conditions were observed 39.6 % of the time predominantly during the first week, with an overall mean transmittance of 0.47. The second most frequent conditions corresponded to multilayer clouds (32.4 %), which prevailed in particular during the second week, with a mean transmittance of 0.43. Broken clouds had a mean transmittance of 0.61 and a frequency of occurrence of 22.1 %. Finally, the least frequent sky conditions were thin clouds and cloudless conditions, which both had a mean transmittance of 0.76 and occurrence frequencies of 3.5 % and 2.4 %, respectively. For overcast conditions, lower global irradiance was observed for stations closer to the ice edge, likely attributable to the low surface albedo of dark open water and a resulting reduction of multiple reflections between the surface and cloud base. Using a wavelet-based multi-resolution analysis, power spectra of the time series of atmospheric transmittance were compared for single-station and spatially averaged observations and for different sky conditions. It is shown that both the absolute magnitude and the scale dependence of variability contains characteristic features for the different sky conditions.

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Section: Broken Clouds Case -8 June 2017mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation introduced by clouds over Arctic sea ice

et al. 2020

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“…However, the development of perennial snow discussed next can lead to multiple reflections of shortwave radiation between the land and bottom of the clouds through a positive feedback involving snow albedo. Wendler et al (2004) found that the presence of a highly reflecting surface under overcast conditions can increase incoming global radiation by 85% due to multiple reflections. However, the net solar flux (Fig.…”

Section: Radiative Fluxes and Cloudsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric circulation anomalies due to 115 kyr BP climate forcing dominated by changes in the North Pacific Ocean

2011

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Climate at the time of inception of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) at ~115 kyr BP is simulated with the fully coupled NCAR Community Climate System Model (CCSM3) and compared to a simulated preindustrial climate (circa 1870) in order to better understand land surface and atmospheric responses to orbital and greenhouse cooling at inception. The interaction between obliquity and eccentricity produces maximum decrease in TOA insolation in JJA over the Arctic but increases occur over the tropics in DJF. The land surface response is dominated by widespread summer cooling in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), increases in snowfall, and decreases in melt rates and total precipitation. CCSM3 responds to the climate forcing at 115 kyr BP by producing incipient glaciation in the areas of LIS nucleation.We find that the inception of the LIS could have occurred with atmospheric IntroductionThe inception of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) over the Canadian Arctic has been the subject of many previous studies. It is now generally accepted that the inception required orbital and GHG forcings acting together along with various feedback processes. Sea ice, snow albedo, sea surface temperature and vegetation changes all play important roles (Khodri et al. 2001;Meisner and Gerdes 2002;Meisner et al. 2003;Kageyama et al. 2004;Desprat et al. 2005;Roe 2006;Crucifix et al. 2006;Kubatzki et al. 2006;Krinner et al. 2006;Schurgers et al. 2007;Calov et al. 2009, Gorbarenko et al. 2010, Kleman et al. 2011. Only a few of these studies attempted to find links between glacial inception and changes in global atmospheric circulation, particularly over the Pacific Ocean. Also most of the studies used simplified models to examine the impacts of orbital, greenhouse gas (GHG) and surface forcings. The earlier results suggested that neither orbital nor GHG forcings alone were sufficient for inception. However, more recent studies that include detailed physics and account for model bias, in for example sea surface temperatures was simulated using a land surface model with idealized atmospheric forcing. In the study, the atmospheric forcing (wind speeds, temperature, precipitation and specific humidity) was held constant while the insolation and CO 2 concentrations were modified to conform to the end of the Eemian ~116 kyr before present (116 kyr BP).The study found that even if an atmospheric circulation pattern similar to the one that produced the coldest summer in the last 50 years was maintained perpetually in a simulation, the local reduction in insolation and CO 2 was insufficient for LIS inception. Even in this highly idealized environment, additional cooling of 4 o C was still needed for inception. Conversely, no inception occurred when the summer air temperature was specified using representative present-day values even under the perpetual extreme winter snowfall, decreased insolation and lower GHG concentrations. How the widespread cooling could have occurred in reality was not addressed. In this study we expand on the earlier work by exa...

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“…The effect of high surface albedo on incoming shortwave (SW) radiation was first reported by Nansen [1897], who used the ‘dark’ underside of stratus clouds to navigate to open water. Wendler et al [2004] found that incoming radiation under overcast conditions in Antarctica was 85% higher for a highly reflective surface than for a water surface because of multiple reflections. In addition, changes in the summer snow/ice albedo in the Arctic strongly influence surface melt‐pond hydrology [e.g., Grenfell and Perovich , 2004; Eicken et al , 2004].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

A drop in mid‐summer shortwave radiation induced by changes in the ice‐surface condition in the central Arctic

Inoue¹

2005

Geophysical Research Letters

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Ice‐surface changes during summer and effects on solar heat input in the Arctic were analyzed using incoming shortwave radiation data from drifting buoys deployed in 2002, 2003, and 2004 as part of the North Pole Environmental Observatory project. Observed shortwave radiation was about half of the incoming shortwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere during early summer, suggesting cloudy skies. In each year, events occurred after mid‐summer during which time the shortwave radiation decreased 33% to one third of shortwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere. Snow‐depth data, aerial photos, and date of melt onset at the buoy site suggest that a decrease in snow/ice albedo induced by snow melting and melt‐pond formation modified the amount of shortwave radiation through multiple reflections. A simplified calculation of the ice‐albedo feedback revealed that the drop in shortwave radiation after mid‐summer was self damping.

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Effects of multiple reflection and albedo on the net radiation in the pack ice zones of Antarctica

Cited by 16 publications

References 23 publications

Spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation introduced by clouds over Arctic sea ice

Spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation introduced by clouds over Arctic sea ice

Atmospheric circulation anomalies due to 115 kyr BP climate forcing dominated by changes in the North Pacific Ocean

A drop in mid‐summer shortwave radiation induced by changes in the ice‐surface condition in the central Arctic

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