The impact of meteorological conditions on snow and ice thickness in an Arctic lake

Abstract

A B S T R A C TInter-annual variation of meteorological conditions and their effects on snow and ice thickness in an Arctic lake Unari (67.148 N, 25.738 E) were investigated for winters 1980/1981Á2012/2013. The lake snow and ice thicknesses were modelled applying a thermodynamic model, and the results were compared with observations. Regression equations were derived for the relationships between meteorological parameters and modelled snow and ice properties. The composite differences of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns between seasons of thin and thick ice were analysed. The air temperature had an increasing trend (statistical significance p B0.05) during the freezing season (1.08 C/decade), associated with an increasing trend of liquid precipitation (pB0.05) in winter. Both observed and modelled average and maximum ice thicknesses showed a decreasing trend (pB0.05). The model results were statistically more reliable (1) for lake ice than snow and (2) for seasonal means than maxima. Low temperature with less precipitation prompted the formation of columnar ice, whereas strong winds and heavy snowfall were in favour of granular ice formation. The granular (columnar) ice thickness was positively (negatively) correlated with precipitation. The seasonal mean and maximum modelled lake ice and snow thicknesses were controlled by precipitation and temperature history, with 58Á86 % of the inter-annual variance explained. Using regression equations derived from data from 1980 to 2013, snow and ice thickness for the following winter seasons was statistically forecasted, yielding errors of 9Á12 %. Among large-scale climate indices, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation was the only one that correlated with interannual variations in the seasonal average ice thickness in Lake Unari.

Air/snow, snow/ice and ice/water interfaces detection from high-resolution vertical temperature profiles measured by ice mass-balance buoys on an Arctic lake

“…Meteorological conditions are the primary driving force for the evolution of snow depth and ice thickness in Arctic lakes (Wei and others, 2016). However, in the case of large lakes, the existence of lake ice provides feedback to local meteorological conditions, in particular, the presence of lake ice strongly reduces surface evaporation and, hence, also the occurrence and amount of precipitation (Wright and other, 2013).…”

X- and Ku-Band SAR Backscattering Signatures of Snow-Covered Lake Ice and Sea Ice

“…In the coming Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) high-priority mission, a dual-frequency satellite altimeter will provide information about snow depth on sea ice and will also help to discriminate between the ice and snow interfaces [43]. As for sea ice, for lake ice many studies on snow and ice properties and their temporal changes have also been conducted using thermodynamic models, e.g., [19,44], and a Snow Microwave Radiative Transfer (SMRT) model [45]. Lake ice thickness has been studied using the satellite altimeter, moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) and MR data, and in addition phenology studies have been conducted [14,46,47].…”

Overview: Recent advances on the understanding of the Northern Eurasian environments and of the urban air quality in China - Pan Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) program perspective

“…Lake ice cover Wei et al (2016) studied the Lake Inari (67.14 N, 25.73 E), Finnish Lapland, in winters 1980/1981 and observed an increasing trend of the air temperature during the freezing season, associated with an increasing trend of water precipitation in winter. Low temperature with less precipitation lead to the formation of columnar ice, while strong winds together with the heavy snowfall favored of granular ice formation.…”