Modelling the climate and surface mass balance of polar ice sheets
using RACMO2, part 2: Antarctica (1979–2016)

Wessem, Jan Melchior van; Berg, Willem Jan van de; Noël, Brice; Meijgaard, E. van; Birnbaum, Gerit; Jakobs, Constantijn L.; Krüger, Konstantin; Lenaerts, Jan T. M.; Lhermitte, Stef; Ligtenberg, Stefan; Medley, Brooke; Reijmer, C. H.; Tricht, Kristof van; Trusel, Luke D.; Ulft, L. H. van; Wouters, Bert; Wuite, Jan; Broeke, Michiel van den

doi:10.5194/tc-2017-202

Cited by 17 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…In conjunction with the analysis of temperature inversion characteristics, the retrieved geometrical cloud thickness would then allow for quantification of the relationship between all Arctic low-level clouds and temperature inversions. These results will contribute to a deeper understanding of low-level liquid-bearing Arctic stratiform cloud macrophysics and, together with detailed inversion characteristics, will serve in improving Arctic surface energy balance, ice sheet, and regional atmospheric climate models (e.g., Marshall et al, 2007;Van Tricht et al, 2016;van Wessem et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Radiosonde‐Derived Temperature Inversions and Their Association With Fog Over 37 Melt Seasons in East Greenland

et al. 2018

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We present temperature inversion characteristics during fog and nonfog conditions at three east Greenland coastal weather stations during Arctic melt seasons 1980–2016. For this purpose, we developed a novel automated method to extract fog‐top height (FTH) from Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive data, which is applicable to any fog thermodynamic profile and includes an improved interpolation of saturation between sounding levels. From the analysis of >22,000 melt‐season soundings we conclude that inversions occur 85–95% of the time, are predominantly elevated, and have median depths >200 m. Fog at high‐Arctic locations often penetrates the inversion layer, especially in the late melt season, and is commonly several hundred meters thick. At low‐Arctic locations fog is thinner and generally restricted to the mixed layer. Inversions during fog are deeper and stronger compared to nonfog conditions. This effect is more pronounced at higher latitudes, which we attribute to distinct local boundary layer conditions and large‐scale processes. The Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive‐extracted FTHs have a cumulative error of 56 m and are in reasonable agreement with retrievals from Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation satellite cloud top data. The novel FTH extraction method can be applied to any polar sounding with >5 significant levels below 700 hPa and can be extended to boundary layer clouds other than fog, which represent the majority of cloud occurrence in the Arctic melt season. This study advances the understanding of interactions between low clouds and temperature inversions and improves retrieval of cloud geometrical thickness from radiosondes: both have important implications for the Arctic surface energy budget.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Radiosonde‐Derived Temperature Inversions and Their Association With Fog Over 37 Melt Seasons in East Greenland

et al. 2018

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“…It assumes hydrostatic equilibrium, which is found to provide realistic results when compared with surface and upper-air observations [34]. The latest version of the model is equipped with tuned cloud scheme parameters, allowing for increased cloud moisture retention, and modified snow properties, which reduce drifting snow sublimation and increase surface snowmelt compared to the previous version [28].…”

Section: Regional Climate Model Racmo2mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used output at high horizontal resolution (5.5 km × 5.5 km) model run over the AP with the most recent version of the regional atmospheric climate model RACMO2.3p2, hereafter referred to as RACMO2 [28]. It uses 40 hybrid vertical levels, 10 of which are located in the lowest 1 km, and the lowest level is situated less than 10 m above the surface.…”

Section: Regional Climate Model Racmo2mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ERA-Interim (1979-2016) reanalysis data [35] were used to force the lateral atmospheric boundaries and to prescribe sea ice fraction and sea surface temperatures [28]. The surface topography was obtained by a combination of digital elevation models [36,37].…”

Section: Regional Climate Model Racmo2mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It uses 40 hybrid vertical levels, 10 of which are located in the lowest 1 km, and the lowest level is situated less than 10 m above the surface. The model uses the dynamical core of the High Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM) [29] and the physics package of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecast System [28], cycle CY33r1. It is specifically adapted for use over large ice sheets [30] and uses a multilayer snow model [31], a prognostic surface albedo scheme based amongst others on snow grain size [32] and a routine which accounts for drifting snow [33].…”

Section: Regional Climate Model Racmo2mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Multidecadal Analysis of Föhn Winds over Larsen C Ice Shelf from a Combination of Observations and Modeling

Wiesenekker¹,

Munneke²,

Broeke³

et al. 2018

Atmosphere

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Abstract:The southward progression of ice shelf collapse in the Antarctic Peninsula is partially attributed to a strengthening of the circumpolar westerlies and the associated increase in föhn conditions over its eastern ice shelves. We used observations from an automatic weather station at Cabinet Inlet on the northern Larsen C ice shelf between 25 November 2014 and 31 December 2016 to describe föhn dynamics. Observed föhn frequency was compared to the latest version of the regional climate model RACMO2.3p2, run over the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5-km horizontal resolution. A föhn identification scheme based on observed wind conditions was employed to check for model biases in föhn representation. Seasonal variation in total föhn event duration was resolved with sufficient skill. The analysis was extended to the model period to obtain a multidecadal perspective of föhn occurrence over Larsen C ice shelf. Föhn occurrence at Cabinet Inlet strongly correlates with near-surface air temperature, and both are found to relate strongly to the location and strength of the Amundsen Sea Low. Furthermore, we demonstrated that föhn occurrence over Larsen C ice shelf shows high variability in space and time.

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Variable Basal Melt Rates of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves, 1994–2016

Adusumilli

Fricker

Siegfried

et al. 2018

Geophysical Research Letters

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We have constructed 23‐year (1994–2016) time series of Antarctic Peninsula (AP) ice‐shelf height change using data from four satellite radar altimeters (ERS‐1, ERS‐2, Envisat, and CryoSat‐2). Combining these time series with output from atmospheric and firn models, we partitioned the total height‐change signal into contributions from varying surface mass balance, firn state, ice dynamics, and basal mass balance. On the Bellingshausen coast of the AP, ice shelves lost 84 ± 34 Gt a−1 to basal melting, compared to contributions of 50 ± 7 Gt a−1 from surface mass balance and ice dynamics. Net basal melting on the Weddell coast was 51 ± 71 Gt a−1. Recent changes in ice‐shelf height include increases over major AP ice shelves driven by changes in firn state. Basal melt rates near Bawden Ice Rise, a major pinning point of Larsen C Ice Shelf, showed large increases, potentially leading to substantial loss of buttressing if sustained.

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Modelling the climate and surface mass balance of polar ice sheets using RACMO2, part 2: Antarctica (1979–2016)

Cited by 17 publications

References 22 publications

Radiosonde‐Derived Temperature Inversions and Their Association With Fog Over 37 Melt Seasons in East Greenland

Radiosonde‐Derived Temperature Inversions and Their Association With Fog Over 37 Melt Seasons in East Greenland

A Multidecadal Analysis of Föhn Winds over Larsen C Ice Shelf from a Combination of Observations and Modeling

Variable Basal Melt Rates of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves, 1994–2016

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