Sea Ice-Albedo Climate Feedback Mechanism

Curry, Judith A.; Schramm, J. L.; Ebert, Elizabeth E.

doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008<0240:siacfm>2.0.co;2

Cited by 585 publications

(406 citation statements)

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“…A host of feedbacks exist during phase change (e.g., Curry et al, 1995Curry et al, , 1996Grenfell and Perovich, 2004). Because surface skin temperature is fixed during phase change, such feedbacks can be broadly viewed as precursors or attendants to the more general ice-albedo feedback involving SAT.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Arctic Amplification Debate

2006

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Abstract. Rises in surface air temperature (SAT) in response to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are expected to be amplified in northern high latitudes, with warming most pronounced over the Arctic Ocean owing to the loss of sea ice. Observations document recent warming, but an enhanced Arctic Ocean signal is not readily evident. This disparity, combined with varying model projections of SAT change, and large variability in observed SAT over the 20th century, may lead one to question the concept of Arctic amplification. Disparity is greatly reduced, however, if one compares observed trajectories to near-future simulations (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022)(2023)(2024)(2025)(2026)(2027)(2028)(2029), rather than to the doubled-CO 2 or late 21st century conditions that are typically cited. These near-future simulations document a preconditioning phase of Arctic amplification, characterized by the initial retreat and thinning of sea ice, with imprints of low-frequency variability. Observations show these same basic features, but with SATs over the Arctic Ocean still largely constrained by the insulating effects of the ice cover and thermal inertia of the upper ocean. Given the general consistency with model projections, we are likely near the threshold when absorption of solar radiation during summer limits ice growth the following autumn and winter, initiating a feedback leading to a substantial increase in Arctic Ocean SATs.

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Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Arctic Amplification Debate

2006

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“…The variation in snow/ice albedo is one of the most important factors influencing the Arctic energy budget and the stability of the Arctic sea ice (e.g. Curry et al, 1995;Houghton et al, 2001). Increased surface temperature may cause a reduction in the area covered by snow/ice, which would in turn allow increased absorption of solar radiation within the Arctic Ocean and a further increase in surface temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of snow/ice albedo parameterizations and their impacts on sea ice simulations

Liu

Zhang

Inoue

et al. 2006

Intl Journal of Climatology

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Abstract:Climate models use a variety of snow/ice albedo parameterizations for the ice covered ocean. In this study, we applied in situ measurements (surface temperature, snow depth and ice thickness) obtained from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) as input values to four different snow/ice albedo parameterizations (representing the spectrum of parameterizations used in stand-alone sea ice models, numerical weather prediction and regional climate models of the Arctic Basin, and coupled global climate models), and evaluated the parameterized albedos against the SHEBA observed albedo. Results show that these parameterizations give very different representations of surface albedo. The impacts of systematic biases in the input values on the parameterized albedos were also assessed. To further understand how sea ice processes are influenced by differences in the albedo parameterizations, we examined baseline sea ice characteristics and responses of sea ice to an external perturbation for the simulations of the albedo parameterizations using a stand-alone basin-scale dynamic/thermodynamic sea ice model. Results show that an albedo treatment of sufficient complexity can produce more realistic basin-scale ice distributions, and likely more realistic ice responses as climate warms.

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“…[2] Observations and models suggest that the Arctic sea ice plays an important role in the state and variability of regional and global climate through the ice albedo feedback, insulating effect, deep water formation and fresh water budget [e.g., Barry et al, 1993;Curry et al, 1995;IPCC, 2001]. The classic view on the Arctic sea ice change in the context of greenhouse warming is that the ice cover would decrease, because the positive ice albedo/ temperature feedback becomes increasingly important as the surface temperature in the Arctic approaches the freezing point in a gradually warming climate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Arctic Sea Ice Variability: Connections to the Arctic Oscillation and the ENSO

Liu

Curry

2004

Geophysical Research Letters

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100

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[1] Trends in the satellite-derived Arctic sea ice concentrations show pronounced decreases in the Barents/Kara Seas, between the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, the central Sea of Okhotsk and a portion of the Hudson/Baffin Bay by $2 -8% per decade, exceeding the 95% confidence level. Qualitatively speaking, positive phases of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) produce similar ice changes in the western Arctic, but opposite ice changes in the eastern Arctic. The manner in which the ice changes are related to the AO and ENSO are demonstrated. Over the last 24 years, the magnitude of the ice changes associated with the positive AO trend and the negative ENSO trend is much smaller than the regional ice trends. Thus, more local or less understood large scale processes should be investigated for explanations.

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Sea Ice-Albedo Climate Feedback Mechanism

Cited by 585 publications

References 0 publications

The Arctic Amplification Debate

The Arctic Amplification Debate

Evaluation of snow/ice albedo parameterizations and their impacts on sea ice simulations

Recent Arctic Sea Ice Variability: Connections to the Arctic Oscillation and the ENSO

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