Articles | Volume 12, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1643-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1643-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Brief communication
| 
08 May 2018
Brief communication |
| 08 May 2018
| 08 May 2018
Brief communication: Improved simulation of the present-day Greenland firn layer (1960–2016)
Stefan R. M. Ligtenberg
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Peter Kuipers Munneke
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Brice P. Y. Noël
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Michiel R. van den Broeke
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Cited
49 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Firn data compilation reveals widespread decrease of firn air content in western Greenland B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-845-2019
- Glacier Energy and Mass Balance (GEMB): a model of firn processes for cryosphere research A. Gardner et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2277-2023
- Horizontal ice flow impacts the firn structure of Greenland's percolation zone R. Leone et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1703-2020
- Evolving ice fraction in the shallow firn layer of Devon Ice Cap, Canada, between 2012 and 2022 D. Hallé et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.39
- An exploratory modelling study of perennial firn aquifers in the Antarctic Peninsula for the period 1979–2016 J. van Wessem et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-695-2021
- Dry snow initialization and densification over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets in the ORCHIDEE land surface model P. Conesa et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4973-2026
- Outlier accommodation with semiparametric density processes: A study of Antarctic snow density modelling D. Sheanshang et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471082X211043946
- Combination of geometric and gravimetric data sets for the estimation of high-resolution mass balances of the Greenland ice sheet M. Graf & R. Pail https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggad356
- Accelerating Ice Loss From Peripheral Glaciers in North Greenland S. Khan et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098915
- Revised Estimates of Recent Mass Loss Rates for Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, Based on 2005–2014 Elevation Changes Modified for Firn Densification N. Schaffer et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005440
- Interruption of two decades of Jakobshavn Isbrae acceleration and thinning as regional ocean cools A. Khazendar et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0329-3
- Accumulation rates (2009–2017) in Southeast Greenland derived from airborne snow radar and comparison with regional climate models L. Montgomery et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.8
- Low elevation of Svalbard glaciers drives high mass loss variability B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18356-1
- Systematic Errors Observed in CryoSat-2 Elevation Swaths on Mountain Glaciers and Their Implications J. Haacker et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2023.3277277
- Physics-based SNOWPACK model improves representation of near-surface Antarctic snow and firn density E. Keenan et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1065-2021
- Recent warming trends of the Greenland ice sheet documented by historical firn and ice temperature observations and machine learning B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-609-2024
- GrSMBMIP: intercomparison of the modelled 1980–2012 surface mass balance over the Greenland Ice Sheet X. Fettweis et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3935-2020
- Heat stored in the Earth system: where does the energy go? K. von Schuckmann et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2013-2020
- Brief communication: CESM2 climate forcing (1950–2014) yields realistic Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1425-2020
- Crystal orientation fabric anisotropy causes directional hardening of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream T. Gerber et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38139-8
- Greenland Mass Trends From Airborne and Satellite Altimetry During 2011–2020 S. Khan et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006505
- Choice of observation type affects Bayesian calibration of Greenland Ice Sheet model simulations D. Felikson et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4661-2023
- The system of atmosphere, land, ice and ocean in the region near the 79N Glacier in northeast Greenland: synthesis and key findings from the Greenland Ice Sheet–Ocean Interaction (GROCE) experiment T. Kanzow et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1789-2025
- North Atlantic Cooling is Slowing Down Mass Loss of Icelandic Glaciers B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095697
- Increased variability in Greenland Ice Sheet runoff from satellite observations T. Slater et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26229-4
- Variations in Greenland surface melt and extreme events from 1958 to 2023 Q. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2025.05.004
- An evaluation of a physics-based firn model and a semi-empirical firn model across the Greenland Ice Sheet (1980–2020) M. Thompson-Munson et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2185-2023
- Evaluating a Regional Climate Model Simulation of Greenland Ice Sheet Snow and Firn Density for Improved Surface Mass Balance Estimates P. Alexander et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084101
- Heat stored in the Earth system 1960–2020: where does the energy go? K. von Schuckmann et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023
- ALPS: A Unified Framework for Modeling Time Series of Land Ice Changes P. Shekhar et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2020.3027190
- Runoff from Greenland's firn area – why do MODIS, RCMs and a firn model disagree? H. Machguth et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-427-2026
- The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020
- Firn cold content evolution at nine sites on the Greenland ice sheet between 1998 and 2017 B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.30
- Development of physically based liquid water schemes for Greenland firn-densification models V. Verjans et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1819-2019
- Rapid ablation zone expansion amplifies north Greenland mass loss B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw0123
- Improving Ground Heat Flux Estimation: Considering the Effect of Freeze/Thaw Process on the Seasonally Frozen Ground J. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035445
- Greenland ice sheet mass balance from 1840 through next week K. Mankoff et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5001-2021
- Surface Melting Drives Fluctuations in Airborne Radar Penetration in West Central Greenland I. Otosaka et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088293
- Peak refreezing in the Greenland firn layer under future warming scenarios B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34524-x
- Improved representation of the contemporary Greenland ice sheet firn layer by IMAU-FDM v1.2G M. Brils et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7121-2022
- The surface mass balance and near-surface climate of the Antarctic ice sheet in RACMO2.4p1 C. van Dalum et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4061-2025
- Multi-technique estimation of ice mass balance in Greenland: impact of the uncertainties on firn densification and GIA models A. Sanchez Lofficial et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaf015
- Use of Shallow Ice Core Measurements to Evaluate and Constrain 1980–1990 Global Reanalyses of Ice Sheet Precipitation Rates A. Schneider et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103943
- Synergistic Use of Single-Pass Interferometry and Radar Altimetry to Measure Mass Loss of NEGIS Outlet Glaciers between 2011 and 2014 L. Krieger et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060996
- Sensitivity of Antarctic surface climate to a new spectral snow albedo and radiative transfer scheme in RACMO2.3p3 C. van Dalum et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1071-2022
- FDTransformer: A firn density prediction framework combining a self-attention transformer network with firn densification physics X. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113869
- High-resolution mascon solutions reveal glacier-scale mass changes over the Greenland Ice Sheet from 2002 to 2022 W. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggad439
- Evaluating Greenland surface-mass-balance and firn-densification data using ICESat-2 altimetry B. Smith et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-789-2023
- Regional grid refinement in an Earth system model: impacts on the simulated Greenland surface mass balance L. van Kampenhout et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1547-2019
49 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Firn data compilation reveals widespread decrease of firn air content in western Greenland B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-845-2019
- Glacier Energy and Mass Balance (GEMB): a model of firn processes for cryosphere research A. Gardner et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2277-2023
- Horizontal ice flow impacts the firn structure of Greenland's percolation zone R. Leone et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1703-2020
- Evolving ice fraction in the shallow firn layer of Devon Ice Cap, Canada, between 2012 and 2022 D. Hallé et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.39
- An exploratory modelling study of perennial firn aquifers in the Antarctic Peninsula for the period 1979–2016 J. van Wessem et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-695-2021
- Dry snow initialization and densification over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets in the ORCHIDEE land surface model P. Conesa et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4973-2026
- Outlier accommodation with semiparametric density processes: A study of Antarctic snow density modelling D. Sheanshang et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471082X211043946
- Combination of geometric and gravimetric data sets for the estimation of high-resolution mass balances of the Greenland ice sheet M. Graf & R. Pail https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggad356
- Accelerating Ice Loss From Peripheral Glaciers in North Greenland S. Khan et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098915
- Revised Estimates of Recent Mass Loss Rates for Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, Based on 2005–2014 Elevation Changes Modified for Firn Densification N. Schaffer et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005440
- Interruption of two decades of Jakobshavn Isbrae acceleration and thinning as regional ocean cools A. Khazendar et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0329-3
- Accumulation rates (2009–2017) in Southeast Greenland derived from airborne snow radar and comparison with regional climate models L. Montgomery et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.8
- Low elevation of Svalbard glaciers drives high mass loss variability B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18356-1
- Systematic Errors Observed in CryoSat-2 Elevation Swaths on Mountain Glaciers and Their Implications J. Haacker et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2023.3277277
- Physics-based SNOWPACK model improves representation of near-surface Antarctic snow and firn density E. Keenan et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1065-2021
- Recent warming trends of the Greenland ice sheet documented by historical firn and ice temperature observations and machine learning B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-609-2024
- GrSMBMIP: intercomparison of the modelled 1980–2012 surface mass balance over the Greenland Ice Sheet X. Fettweis et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3935-2020
- Heat stored in the Earth system: where does the energy go? K. von Schuckmann et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2013-2020
- Brief communication: CESM2 climate forcing (1950–2014) yields realistic Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1425-2020
- Crystal orientation fabric anisotropy causes directional hardening of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream T. Gerber et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38139-8
- Greenland Mass Trends From Airborne and Satellite Altimetry During 2011–2020 S. Khan et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006505
- Choice of observation type affects Bayesian calibration of Greenland Ice Sheet model simulations D. Felikson et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4661-2023
- The system of atmosphere, land, ice and ocean in the region near the 79N Glacier in northeast Greenland: synthesis and key findings from the Greenland Ice Sheet–Ocean Interaction (GROCE) experiment T. Kanzow et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1789-2025
- North Atlantic Cooling is Slowing Down Mass Loss of Icelandic Glaciers B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095697
- Increased variability in Greenland Ice Sheet runoff from satellite observations T. Slater et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26229-4
- Variations in Greenland surface melt and extreme events from 1958 to 2023 Q. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accre.2025.05.004
- An evaluation of a physics-based firn model and a semi-empirical firn model across the Greenland Ice Sheet (1980–2020) M. Thompson-Munson et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2185-2023
- Evaluating a Regional Climate Model Simulation of Greenland Ice Sheet Snow and Firn Density for Improved Surface Mass Balance Estimates P. Alexander et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084101
- Heat stored in the Earth system 1960–2020: where does the energy go? K. von Schuckmann et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023
- ALPS: A Unified Framework for Modeling Time Series of Land Ice Changes P. Shekhar et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2020.3027190
- Runoff from Greenland's firn area – why do MODIS, RCMs and a firn model disagree? H. Machguth et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-427-2026
- The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020
- Firn cold content evolution at nine sites on the Greenland ice sheet between 1998 and 2017 B. Vandecrux et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.30
- Development of physically based liquid water schemes for Greenland firn-densification models V. Verjans et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1819-2019
- Rapid ablation zone expansion amplifies north Greenland mass loss B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw0123
- Improving Ground Heat Flux Estimation: Considering the Effect of Freeze/Thaw Process on the Seasonally Frozen Ground J. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035445
- Greenland ice sheet mass balance from 1840 through next week K. Mankoff et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5001-2021
- Surface Melting Drives Fluctuations in Airborne Radar Penetration in West Central Greenland I. Otosaka et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088293
- Peak refreezing in the Greenland firn layer under future warming scenarios B. Noël et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34524-x
- Improved representation of the contemporary Greenland ice sheet firn layer by IMAU-FDM v1.2G M. Brils et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7121-2022
- The surface mass balance and near-surface climate of the Antarctic ice sheet in RACMO2.4p1 C. van Dalum et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4061-2025
- Multi-technique estimation of ice mass balance in Greenland: impact of the uncertainties on firn densification and GIA models A. Sanchez Lofficial et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaf015
- Use of Shallow Ice Core Measurements to Evaluate and Constrain 1980–1990 Global Reanalyses of Ice Sheet Precipitation Rates A. Schneider et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103943
- Synergistic Use of Single-Pass Interferometry and Radar Altimetry to Measure Mass Loss of NEGIS Outlet Glaciers between 2011 and 2014 L. Krieger et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060996
- Sensitivity of Antarctic surface climate to a new spectral snow albedo and radiative transfer scheme in RACMO2.3p3 C. van Dalum et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1071-2022
- FDTransformer: A firn density prediction framework combining a self-attention transformer network with firn densification physics X. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113869
- High-resolution mascon solutions reveal glacier-scale mass changes over the Greenland Ice Sheet from 2002 to 2022 W. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggad439
- Evaluating Greenland surface-mass-balance and firn-densification data using ICESat-2 altimetry B. Smith et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-789-2023
- Regional grid refinement in an Earth system model: impacts on the simulated Greenland surface mass balance L. van Kampenhout et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1547-2019
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 07 Nov 2026
Short summary
Firn is the transitional product between fresh snow and glacier ice, and a 10-100 m thick layer covers the Greenland ice sheet. It has the capacity to store meltwater and thereby mitigate runoff to the ocean. Using a model and improved atmospheric forcing, we simulate firn density and temperature that agrees well with observations from firn cores. Especially in the regions with substantial melt, and therefore the most sensitive to a warming climate, the results improved significantly.
Firn is the transitional product between fresh snow and glacier ice, and a 10-100 m thick layer...
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