Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1987-2018
© 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-12-1987-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Jun 2018
Research article |
| 12 Jun 2018
| 12 Jun 2018
How does the ice sheet surface mass balance relate to snowfall? Insights from a ground-based precipitation radar in East Antarctica
Niels Souverijns
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Alexandra Gossart
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Irina V. Gorodetskaya
CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Physics, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Stef Lhermitte
Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
Alexander Mangold
Observations Department, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Uccle, Belgium
Quentin Laffineur
Observations Department, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Uccle, Belgium
Andy Delcloo
Observations Department, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Uccle, Belgium
Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Related authors
Florian Sauerland, Niels Souverijns, Anna Possner, Heike Wex, Preben Van Overmeiren, Alexander Mangold, Kwinten Van Weverberg, and Nicole van Lipzig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13751–13768, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13751-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13751-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use a regional climate model, COSMO-CLM², enhanced with a module resolving aerosol processes, to study Antarctic clouds. We prescribe different concentrations of ice-nucleating particles to our model to assess how these clouds respond to concentration changes, validating results with cloud and aerosol observations from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica station. Our results show that aerosol–cloud interactions vary with temperature, providing valuable insights into Antarctic cloud dynamics.
Nicolaj Hansen, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Fredrik Boberg, Christoph Kittel, Andrew Orr, Niels Souverijns, J. Melchior van Wessem, and Ruth Mottram
The Cryosphere, 16, 711–718, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the impact of different ice masks when modelling surface mass balance over Antarctica. We used ice masks and data from five of the most used regional climate models and a common mask. We see large disagreement between the ice masks, which has a large impact on the surface mass balance, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula and some of the largest glaciers. We suggest a solution for creating a new, up-to-date, high-resolution ice mask that can be used in Antarctic modelling.
Charles Pelletier, Thierry Fichefet, Hugues Goosse, Konstanze Haubner, Samuel Helsen, Pierre-Vincent Huot, Christoph Kittel, François Klein, Sébastien Le clec'h, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Sylvain Marchi, François Massonnet, Pierre Mathiot, Ehsan Moravveji, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro, Pablo Ortega, Frank Pattyn, Niels Souverijns, Guillian Van Achter, Sam Vanden Broucke, Alexander Vanhulle, Deborah Verfaillie, and Lars Zipf
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 553–594, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-553-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-553-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present PARASO, a circumpolar model for simulating the Antarctic climate. PARASO features five distinct models, each covering different Earth system subcomponents (ice sheet, atmosphere, land, sea ice, ocean). In this technical article, we describe how this tool has been developed, with a focus on the
coupling interfacesrepresenting the feedbacks between the distinct models used for contribution. PARASO is stable and ready to use but is still characterized by significant biases.
Ruth Mottram, Nicolaj Hansen, Christoph Kittel, J. Melchior van Wessem, Cécile Agosta, Charles Amory, Fredrik Boberg, Willem Jan van de Berg, Xavier Fettweis, Alexandra Gossart, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Erik van Meijgaard, Andrew Orr, Tony Phillips, Stuart Webster, Sebastian B. Simonsen, and Niels Souverijns
The Cryosphere, 15, 3751–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We compare the calculated surface mass budget (SMB) of Antarctica in five different regional climate models. On average ~ 2000 Gt of snow accumulates annually, but different models vary by ~ 10 %, a difference equivalent to ± 0.5 mm of global sea level rise. All models reproduce observed weather, but there are large differences in regional patterns of snowfall, especially in areas with very few observations, giving greater uncertainty in Antarctic mass budget than previously identified.
Florentin Lemonnier, Jean-Baptiste Madeleine, Chantal Claud, Christophe Genthon, Claudio Durán-Alarcón, Cyril Palerme, Alexis Berne, Niels Souverijns, Nicole van Lipzig, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Tristan L'Ecuyer, and Norman Wood
The Cryosphere, 13, 943–954, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-943-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-943-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Evaluation of the vertical precipitation rate profiles of CloudSat radar by comparison with two surface-based micro-rain radars (MRR) located at two antarctic stations gives a near-perfect correlation between both datasets, even though climatic and geographic conditions are different for the stations. A better understanding and reassessment of CloudSat uncertainties ranging from −13 % up to +22 % confirms the robustness of the CloudSat retrievals of snowfall over Antarctica.
Alexandra Gossart, Stephen P. Palm, Niels Souverijns, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Stef Lhermitte, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-25, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-25, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Blowing snow measurements are scarce, both in time and space over the Antarctic ice sheet. We compare here CALIPSO satellite blowing snow measurements, to ground-base remote sensing ceilometer retrievals at two coastal stations in East Antarctica. Results indicate that 95 % of the blowing snow occurs under cloudy conditions, and are missed by the satellite. In addition, difficulties arise if comparing point locations to satellite overpasses.
Claudio Durán-Alarcón, Brice Boudevillain, Christophe Genthon, Jacopo Grazioli, Niels Souverijns, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, and Alexis Berne
The Cryosphere, 13, 247–264, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-247-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-247-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Precipitation is the main input in the surface mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet, but it is still poorly understood due to a lack of observations in this region. We analyzed the vertical structure of the precipitation using multiyear observation of vertically pointing micro rain radars (MRRs) at two stations located in East Antarctica. The use of MRRs showed the potential to study the effect of climatology and hydrometeor microphysics on the vertical structure of Antarctic precipitation.
Niels Souverijns, Alexandra Gossart, Stef Lhermitte, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Jacopo Grazioli, Alexis Berne, Claudio Duran-Alarcon, Brice Boudevillain, Christophe Genthon, Claudio Scarchilli, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 12, 3775–3789, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3775-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3775-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Snowfall observations over Antarctica are scarce and currently limited to information from the CloudSat satellite. Here, a first evaluation of the CloudSat snowfall record is performed using observations of ground-based precipitation radars. Results indicate an accurate representation of the snowfall climatology over Antarctica, despite the low overpass frequency of the satellite, outperforming state-of-the-art model estimates. Individual snowfall events are however not well represented.
Alexandra Gossart, Niels Souverijns, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Stef Lhermitte, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Jan H. Schween, Alexander Mangold, Quentin Laffineur, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 11, 2755–2772, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2755-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2755-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Blowing snow plays an important role on local surface mass balance of Antarctica. We present here the blowing snow detection algorithm, to retrieve blowing snow occurrence from the attenuated backscatter signal of ceilometers set up at two station. There is a good correspondence in detection of heavy blowing snow by the algorithm and the visual observations performed at Neumayer station. Moreover, most of the blowing snow occurs during events bringing precipitation from the coast inland.
Ann-Sofie P. Zinck, Bert Wouters, Franka Jesse, and Stef Lhermitte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-573, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-573, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean-driven basal melting of ice shelves can carve channels into the ice shelf base. These channels represent potential weak areas of the ice shelf. On George VI Ice shelf we discover a new channel which onset coincides with the 2015 El-Nino Southern Oscillation event. Since the channel has developed rapidly and is located within a highly channelized area close to the ice shelf front it poses a potential thread of ice shelf retreat.
Sofie Van Winckel, Jonas Simons, Stef Lhermitte, and Bart Muys
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4094, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4094, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Insights on management's impact on forest carbon stocks are crucial for sustainable forest management practices. However, accurately monitoring carbon stocks remains a technological challenge. This study estimates above-ground carbon stock in managed and unmanaged forests using passive optical, SAR, and LiDAR remote sensing data. Results show promising potential in using multiple remote sensing predictors and publicly available high-resolution data for mapping forest carbon stocks.
Stijn Van Leuven, Pieter De Meutter, Johan Camps, Piet Termonia, and Andy Delcloo
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4057, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4057, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use deposition measurements to trace the source of the radioactive isotope Ru-106 released into the atmosphere in 2017, which led to detections in Europe and other parts of the northern hemisphere. Most frequently, measurements of air concentration are used for such purposes. Our research shows that while air concentration data can provide more precise results, deposition measurements can still effectively pinpoint the release location, offering a less costly and more versatile alternative.
Francesca Baldacchino, Nicholas R. Golledge, Mathieu Morlighem, Huw Horgan, Alanna V. Alevropoulos-Borrill, Alena Malyarenko, Alexandra Gossart, Daniel P. Lowry, and Laurine van Haastrecht
The Cryosphere, 19, 107–127, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-107-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-107-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how the Ross Ice Shelf flow is changing in a warming world is important for predicting ice sheet change. Field measurements show clear intra-annual variations in ice flow; however, it is unclear what mechanisms drive this variability. We show that local perturbations in basal melt can have a significant impact on ice flow speed, but a combination of forcings is likely driving the observed variability in ice flow.
Weiran Li, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 19, 37–61, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-37-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-37-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study used a machine learning approach to estimate the densities over the Antarctic Ice Sheet, particularly in the areas where the snow is usually dry. The motivation is to establish a link between satellite parameters to snow densities, as measurements are difficult for people to take on site. It provides valuable insights into the complexities of the relationship between satellite parameters and firn density and provides potential for further studies.
Diana Francis, Ricardo Fonseca, Narendra Nelli, Petra Heil, Jonathan Wille, Irina Gorodetskaya, and Robert Massom
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3535, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3535, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the impact of atmospheric rivers and associated atmospheric dynamics on sea-ice thickness and snow depth at a coastal site in East Antarctica during July–November 2022 using in-situ measurements and numerical modelling. The passage of an atmospheric river induced a reduction of up to 0.06 m in both fields. Precipitation occurred from the convergence of katabatic winds with advected low-latitude moist air.
Florian Sauerland, Niels Souverijns, Anna Possner, Heike Wex, Preben Van Overmeiren, Alexander Mangold, Kwinten Van Weverberg, and Nicole van Lipzig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13751–13768, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13751-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13751-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use a regional climate model, COSMO-CLM², enhanced with a module resolving aerosol processes, to study Antarctic clouds. We prescribe different concentrations of ice-nucleating particles to our model to assess how these clouds respond to concentration changes, validating results with cloud and aerosol observations from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica station. Our results show that aerosol–cloud interactions vary with temperature, providing valuable insights into Antarctic cloud dynamics.
Zhenhai Zhang, F. Martin Ralph, Xun Zou, Brian Kawzenuk, Minghua Zheng, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Penny M. Rowe, and David H. Bromwich
The Cryosphere, 18, 5239–5258, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5239-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5239-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow corridors of strong water vapor transport in the atmosphere. ARs play an important role in extreme weather in polar regions, including heavy rain and/or snow, heat waves, and surface melt. The standard AR scale is developed based on the midlatitude climate and is insufficient for polar regions. This paper introduces an extended version of the AR scale tuned to polar regions, aiming to quantify polar ARs objectively based on their strength and impact.
Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, Bert Wouters, Cornelis Slobbe, Max Brils, and Xavier Fettweis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3251, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3251, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Due to the melt events in recent decades, the snow condition over Greenland has been changed. To observe this, we use a parameter (leading edge width; LeW) derived from satellite altimetry, and analyse its spatial and temporal variations. By comparing the LeW variations with modelled firn parameters, we concluded that the 2012 melt event has a long-lasting impact on the volume scattering of Greenland firn. This impact cannot fully recover due to the recent and more frequent melt events.
Majid Bastankhah, Marcus Becker, Matthew Churchfield, Caroline Draxl, Jay Prakash Goit, Mehtab Khan, Luis A. Martinez Tossas, Johan Meyers, Patrick Moriarty, Wim Munters, Asim Önder, Sara Porchetta, Eliot Quon, Ishaan Sood, Nicole van Lipzig, Jan-Willem van Wingerden, Paul Veers, and Simon Watson
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 2171–2174, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2171-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-2171-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Dries Allaerts was born on 19 May 1989 and passed away at his home in Wezemaal, Belgium, on 10 October 2024 after battling cancer. Dries started his wind energy career in 2012 and had a profound impact afterward on the community, in terms of both his scientific realizations and his many friendships and collaborations in the field. His scientific acumen, open spirit of collaboration, positive attitude towards life, and playful and often cheeky sense of humor will be deeply missed by many.
Julius Sommer, Maaike Izeboud, Sophie de Roda Husman, Bert Wouters, and Stef Lhermitte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3105, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3105, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ice shelves, the floating extensions of Antarctica’s ice sheet, play a crucial role in preventing mass ice loss, and understanding their stability is crucial. If surface meltwater lakes drain rapidly through fractures, the ice shelf can destabilize. We analyzed satellite images of three years from the Shackleton Ice Shelf and found that lake drainages occurred in areas where damage is present and developing, and coincided with rising tides, offering insights into the drivers of this process.
Filippo Emilio Scarsi, Alessandro Battaglia, Maximilian Maahn, and Stef Lhermitte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1917, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1917, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Snowfall measurements at high latitudes are crucial for estimating ice sheet mass balance. Spaceborne radar and radiometer missions help estimate snowfall but face uncertainties. This work evaluates uncertainties in snowfall estimates from a fixed near-nadir radar (CloudSat-like) and a conically scanning radar (WIVERN-like), determining that WIVERN will provide much better estimates than CloudSat, and at much smaller spatial and temporal scales.
Jérôme Neirynck, Jonas Van de Walle, Ruben Borgers, Sebastiaan Jamaer, Johan Meyers, Ad Stoffelen, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 1695–1711, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1695-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1695-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In our study, we assess how mesoscale weather systems influence wind speed variations and their impact on offshore wind energy production fluctuations. We have observed, for instance, that weather systems originating over land lead to sea wind speed variations. Additionally, we noted that power fluctuations are typically more significant in summer, despite potentially larger winter wind speed variations. These findings are valuable for grid management and optimizing renewable energy deployment.
Manfred Wendisch, Susanne Crewell, André Ehrlich, Andreas Herber, Benjamin Kirbus, Christof Lüpkes, Mario Mech, Steven J. Abel, Elisa F. Akansu, Felix Ament, Clémantyne Aubry, Sebastian Becker, Stephan Borrmann, Heiko Bozem, Marlen Brückner, Hans-Christian Clemen, Sandro Dahlke, Georgios Dekoutsidis, Julien Delanoë, Elena De La Torre Castro, Henning Dorff, Regis Dupuy, Oliver Eppers, Florian Ewald, Geet George, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Sarah Grawe, Silke Groß, Jörg Hartmann, Silvia Henning, Lutz Hirsch, Evelyn Jäkel, Philipp Joppe, Olivier Jourdan, Zsofia Jurányi, Michail Karalis, Mona Kellermann, Marcus Klingebiel, Michael Lonardi, Johannes Lucke, Anna E. Luebke, Maximilian Maahn, Nina Maherndl, Marion Maturilli, Bernhard Mayer, Johanna Mayer, Stephan Mertes, Janosch Michaelis, Michel Michalkov, Guillaume Mioche, Manuel Moser, Hanno Müller, Roel Neggers, Davide Ori, Daria Paul, Fiona M. Paulus, Christian Pilz, Felix Pithan, Mira Pöhlker, Veronika Pörtge, Maximilian Ringel, Nils Risse, Gregory C. Roberts, Sophie Rosenburg, Johannes Röttenbacher, Janna Rückert, Michael Schäfer, Jonas Schaefer, Vera Schemann, Imke Schirmacher, Jörg Schmidt, Sebastian Schmidt, Johannes Schneider, Sabrina Schnitt, Anja Schwarz, Holger Siebert, Harald Sodemann, Tim Sperzel, Gunnar Spreen, Bjorn Stevens, Frank Stratmann, Gunilla Svensson, Christian Tatzelt, Thomas Tuch, Timo Vihma, Christiane Voigt, Lea Volkmer, Andreas Walbröl, Anna Weber, Birgit Wehner, Bruno Wetzel, Martin Wirth, and Tobias Zinner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8865–8892, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8865-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8865-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the globe. Warm-air intrusions (WAIs) into the Arctic may play an important role in explaining this phenomenon. Cold-air outbreaks (CAOs) out of the Arctic may link the Arctic climate changes to mid-latitude weather. In our article, we describe how to observe air mass transformations during CAOs and WAIs using three research aircraft instrumented with state-of-the-art remote-sensing and in situ measurement devices.
Thore Kausch, Stef Lhermitte, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Eric Keenan, and Shashwat Shukla
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2077, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2077, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Determining the net balance of snow accumulation on the surface of Antarctica is challenging. Sentinel-1 satellite sensors, which can see through snow, offer a promising method. However, linking their signals to snow amounts is complex due to snow's internal structure and limited on-the-ground data. This study found a connection between satellite signals and snow levels at three locations in Dronning Maud Land. Using models and field data, the method shows potential for wider use in Antarctica.
Andreas Walbröl, Janosch Michaelis, Sebastian Becker, Henning Dorff, Kerstin Ebell, Irina Gorodetskaya, Bernd Heinold, Benjamin Kirbus, Melanie Lauer, Nina Maherndl, Marion Maturilli, Johanna Mayer, Hanno Müller, Roel A. J. Neggers, Fiona M. Paulus, Johannes Röttenbacher, Janna E. Rückert, Imke Schirmacher, Nils Slättberg, André Ehrlich, Manfred Wendisch, and Susanne Crewell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8007–8029, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8007-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8007-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
To support the interpretation of the data collected during the HALO-(AC)3 campaign, which took place in the North Atlantic sector of the Arctic from 7 March to 12 April 2022, we analyze how unusual the weather and sea ice conditions were with respect to the long-term climatology. From observations and ERA5 reanalysis, we found record-breaking warm air intrusions and a large variety of marine cold air outbreaks. Sea ice concentration was mostly within the climatological interquartile range.
Ruben Borgers, Marieke Dirksen, Ine L. Wijnant, Andrew Stepek, Ad Stoffelen, Naveed Akhtar, Jérôme Neirynck, Jonas Van de Walle, Johan Meyers, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
Wind Energ. Sci., 9, 697–719, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-697-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-697-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Wind farms at sea are becoming more densely clustered, which means that next to individual wind turbines interfering with each other in a single wind farm also interference between wind farms becomes important. Using a climate model, this study shows that the efficiency of wind farm clusters and the interference between the wind farms in the cluster depend strongly on the properties of the individual wind farms and are also highly sensitive to the spacing between the wind farms.
Rosa Pietroiusti, Inne Vanderkelen, Friederike E. L. Otto, Clair Barnes, Lucy Temple, Mary Akurut, Philippe Bally, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, and Wim Thiery
Earth Syst. Dynam., 15, 225–264, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-225-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-225-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Heavy rainfall in eastern Africa between late 2019 and mid 2020 caused devastating floods and landslides and drove the levels of Lake Victoria to a record-breaking maximum in May 2020. In this study, we characterize the spatial extent and impacts of the floods in the Lake Victoria basin and investigate how human-induced climate change influenced the probability and intensity of the record-breaking lake levels and flooding by applying a multi-model extreme event attribution methodology.
Lena G. Buth, Valeria Di Biase, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Stef Lhermitte, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Sophie de Roda Husman, Michiel R. van den Broeke, and Bert Wouters
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2000, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2000, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Liquid meltwater which is stored in air bubbles in the compacted snow near the surface of Antarctica can affect ice shelf stability. In order to detect the presence of such firn aquifers over large scales, satellite remote sensing is needed. In this paper, we present our new detection method using radar satellite data as well as the results for the whole Antarctic Peninsula. Firn aquifers are found in the north and northwest of the peninsula, in agreement with locations predicted by models.
Stijn Van Leuven, Pieter De Meutter, Johan Camps, Piet Termonia, and Andy Delcloo
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 5323–5338, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5323-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5323-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Precipitation collects airborne particles and deposits these on the ground. This process is called wet deposition and greatly determines how airborne radioactive particles (released routinely or accidentally) contaminate the surface. In this work we present a new method to improve the calculation of wet deposition in computer models. We apply this method to the existing model FLEXPART by simulating the Fukushima nuclear accident (2011) and show that it improves the simulation of wet deposition.
Ann-Sofie Priergaard Zinck, Bert Wouters, Erwin Lambert, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 17, 3785–3801, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3785-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3785-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The ice shelves in Antarctica are melting from below, which puts their stability at risk. Therefore, it is important to observe how much and where they are melting. In this study we use high-resolution satellite imagery to derive 50 m resolution basal melt rates of the Dotson Ice Shelf. With the high resolution of our product we are able to uncover small-scale features which may in the future help us to understand the state and fate of the Antarctic ice shelves and their (in)stability.
Yaowen Zheng, Nicholas R. Golledge, Alexandra Gossart, Ghislain Picard, and Marion Leduc-Leballeur
The Cryosphere, 17, 3667–3694, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3667-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3667-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Positive degree-day (PDD) schemes are widely used in many Antarctic numerical ice sheet models. However, the PDD approach has not been systematically explored for its application in Antarctica. We have constructed a novel grid-cell-level spatially distributed PDD (dist-PDD) model and assessed its accuracy. We suggest that an appropriately parameterized dist-PDD model can be a valuable tool for exploring Antarctic surface melt beyond the satellite era.
Melanie Lauer, Annette Rinke, Irina Gorodetskaya, Michael Sprenger, Mario Mech, and Susanne Crewell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8705–8726, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8705-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8705-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new method to analyse the influence of atmospheric rivers (ARs), cyclones, and fronts on the precipitation in the Arctic, based on two campaigns: ACLOUD (early summer 2017) and AFLUX (early spring 2019). There are differences between both campaign periods: in early summer, the precipitation is mostly related to ARs and fronts, especially when they are co-located, while in early spring, cyclones isolated from ARs and fronts contributed most to the precipitation.
Diana Francis, Ricardo Fonseca, Kyle S. Mattingly, Stef Lhermitte, and Catherine Walker
The Cryosphere, 17, 3041–3062, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3041-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3041-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Role of Foehn Winds in ice and snow conditions at the Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica.
Alena Malyarenko, Alexandra Gossart, Rui Sun, and Mario Krapp
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 3355–3373, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-3355-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-3355-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Simultaneous modelling of ocean, sea ice, and atmosphere in coupled models is critical for understanding all of the processes that happen in the Antarctic. Here we have developed a coupled model for the Ross Sea, P-SKRIPS, that conserves heat and mass between the ocean and sea ice model (MITgcm) and the atmosphere model (PWRF). We have shown that our developments reduce the model drift, which is important for long-term simulations. P-SKRIPS shows good results in modelling coastal polynyas.
Hugues Goosse, Sofia Allende Contador, Cecilia M. Bitz, Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, Clare Eayrs, Thierry Fichefet, Kenza Himmich, Pierre-Vincent Huot, François Klein, Sylvain Marchi, François Massonnet, Bianca Mezzina, Charles Pelletier, Lettie Roach, Martin Vancoppenolle, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 17, 407–425, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-407-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-407-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using idealized sensitivity experiments with a regional atmosphere–ocean–sea ice model, we show that sea ice advance is constrained by initial conditions in March and the retreat season is influenced by the magnitude of several physical processes, in particular by the ice–albedo feedback and ice transport. Atmospheric feedbacks amplify the response of the winter ice extent to perturbations, while some negative feedbacks related to heat conduction fluxes act on the ice volume.
Lena G. Buth, Bert Wouters, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Stef Lhermitte, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-127, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-127, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Liquid meltwater which is stored in air bubbles in the compacted snow near the surface of Antarctica can affect ice shelf stability. In order to detect the presence of such firn aquifers over large scales, satellite remote sensing is needed. In this paper, we present our new detection method using radar satellite data as well as the results for the whole Antarctic Peninsula. Firn aquifers are found in the north and northwest of the peninsula, in agreement with locations predicted by models.
Koen Devesse, Luca Lanzilao, Sebastiaan Jamaer, Nicole van Lipzig, and Johan Meyers
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 1367–1382, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1367-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1367-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Recent research suggests that offshore wind farms might form such a large obstacle to the wind that it already decelerates before reaching the first turbines. Part of this phenomenon could be explained by gravity waves. Research on these gravity waves triggered by mountains and hills has found that variations in the atmospheric state with altitude can have a large effect on how they behave. This paper is the first to take the impact of those vertical variations into account for wind farms.
Weiran Li, Cornelis Slobbe, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 16, 2225–2243, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2225-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2225-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study proposes a new method for correcting the slope-induced errors in satellite radar altimetry. The slope-induced errors can significantly affect the height estimations of ice sheets if left uncorrected. This study applies the method to radar altimetry data (CryoSat-2) and compares the performance with two existing methods. The performance is assessed by comparison with independent height measurements from ICESat-2. The assessment shows that the method performs promisingly.
Annakaisa von Lerber, Mario Mech, Annette Rinke, Damao Zhang, Melanie Lauer, Ana Radovan, Irina Gorodetskaya, and Susanne Crewell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7287–7317, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7287-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7287-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Snowfall is an important climate indicator. However, microphysical snowfall processes are challenging for atmospheric models. In this study, the performance of a regional climate model is evaluated in modeling the spatial and temporal distribution of Arctic snowfall when compared to CloudSat satellite observations. Excellent agreement in averaged annual snowfall rates is found, and the shown methodology offers a promising diagnostic tool to investigate the shown differences further.
Nicolaj Hansen, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Fredrik Boberg, Christoph Kittel, Andrew Orr, Niels Souverijns, J. Melchior van Wessem, and Ruth Mottram
The Cryosphere, 16, 711–718, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the impact of different ice masks when modelling surface mass balance over Antarctica. We used ice masks and data from five of the most used regional climate models and a common mask. We see large disagreement between the ice masks, which has a large impact on the surface mass balance, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula and some of the largest glaciers. We suggest a solution for creating a new, up-to-date, high-resolution ice mask that can be used in Antarctic modelling.
Charles Pelletier, Thierry Fichefet, Hugues Goosse, Konstanze Haubner, Samuel Helsen, Pierre-Vincent Huot, Christoph Kittel, François Klein, Sébastien Le clec'h, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Sylvain Marchi, François Massonnet, Pierre Mathiot, Ehsan Moravveji, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro, Pablo Ortega, Frank Pattyn, Niels Souverijns, Guillian Van Achter, Sam Vanden Broucke, Alexander Vanhulle, Deborah Verfaillie, and Lars Zipf
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 553–594, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-553-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-553-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present PARASO, a circumpolar model for simulating the Antarctic climate. PARASO features five distinct models, each covering different Earth system subcomponents (ice sheet, atmosphere, land, sea ice, ocean). In this technical article, we describe how this tool has been developed, with a focus on the
coupling interfacesrepresenting the feedbacks between the distinct models used for contribution. PARASO is stable and ready to use but is still characterized by significant biases.
Carolina Viceto, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Annette Rinke, Marion Maturilli, Alfredo Rocha, and Susanne Crewell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 441–463, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-441-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-441-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We focus on anomalous moisture transport events known as atmospheric rivers (ARs). During ACLOUD and PASCAL, three AR events were identified: 30 May, 6 June, and 9 June 2017. We explore their spatio-temporal evolution and precipitation patterns using measurements, reanalyses, and a model. We show the importance of the following: Atlantic and Siberian pathways during spring–summer in the Arctic, AR-associated heat/moisture increase, precipitation phase transition, and high-resolution datasets.
Hélène Bresson, Annette Rinke, Mario Mech, Daniel Reinert, Vera Schemann, Kerstin Ebell, Marion Maturilli, Carolina Viceto, Irina Gorodetskaya, and Susanne Crewell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 173–196, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-173-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-173-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic warming is pronounced, and one factor in this is the poleward atmospheric transport of heat and moisture. This study assesses the 4D structure of an Arctic moisture intrusion event which occurred in June 2017. For the first time, high-resolution pan-Arctic ICON simulations are performed and compared with global models, reanalysis, and observations. Results show the added value of high resolution in the event representation and the impact of the intrusion on the surface energy fluxes.
Zhongyang Hu, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Stef Lhermitte, Maaike Izeboud, and Michiel van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 15, 5639–5658, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5639-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5639-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctica is shrinking, and part of the mass loss is caused by higher temperatures leading to more snowmelt. We use computer models to estimate the amount of melt, but this can be inaccurate – specifically in the areas with the most melt. This is because the model cannot account for small, darker areas like rocks or darker ice. Thus, we trained a computer using artificial intelligence and satellite images that showed these darker areas. The model computed an improved estimate of melt.
Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, and Paco López-Dekker
The Cryosphere, 15, 5309–5322, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5309-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5309-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Surface meltwater lakes have been observed on several Antarctic ice shelves in field studies and optical images. Meltwater lakes can drain and refreeze, increasing the fragility of the ice shelves. The combination of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter and interferometric information (InSAR) can provide the cryosphere community with the possibility to continuously assess the dynamics of the meltwater lakes, potentially helping to facilitate the study of ice shelves in a changing climate.
Sebastian Landwehr, Michele Volpi, F. Alexander Haumann, Charlotte M. Robinson, Iris Thurnherr, Valerio Ferracci, Andrea Baccarini, Jenny Thomas, Irina Gorodetskaya, Christian Tatzelt, Silvia Henning, Rob L. Modini, Heather J. Forrer, Yajuan Lin, Nicolas Cassar, Rafel Simó, Christel Hassler, Alireza Moallemi, Sarah E. Fawcett, Neil Harris, Ruth Airs, Marzieh H. Derkani, Alberto Alberello, Alessandro Toffoli, Gang Chen, Pablo Rodríguez-Ros, Marina Zamanillo, Pau Cortés-Greus, Lei Xue, Conor G. Bolas, Katherine C. Leonard, Fernando Perez-Cruz, David Walton, and Julia Schmale
Earth Syst. Dynam., 12, 1295–1369, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-12-1295-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-12-1295-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition surveyed a large number of variables describing the dynamic state of ocean and atmosphere, freshwater cycle, atmospheric chemistry, ocean biogeochemistry, and microbiology in the Southern Ocean. To reduce the dimensionality of the dataset, we apply a sparse principal component analysis and identify temporal patterns from diurnal to seasonal cycles, as well as geographical gradients and
hotspotsof interaction. Code and data are open access.
Hugues Brenot, Nicolas Theys, Lieven Clarisse, Jeroen van Gent, Daniel R. Hurtmans, Sophie Vandenbussche, Nikolaos Papagiannopoulos, Lucia Mona, Timo Virtanen, Andreas Uppstu, Mikhail Sofiev, Luca Bugliaro, Margarita Vázquez-Navarro, Pascal Hedelt, Michelle Maree Parks, Sara Barsotti, Mauro Coltelli, William Moreland, Simona Scollo, Giuseppe Salerno, Delia Arnold-Arias, Marcus Hirtl, Tuomas Peltonen, Juhani Lahtinen, Klaus Sievers, Florian Lipok, Rolf Rüfenacht, Alexander Haefele, Maxime Hervo, Saskia Wagenaar, Wim Som de Cerff, Jos de Laat, Arnoud Apituley, Piet Stammes, Quentin Laffineur, Andy Delcloo, Robertson Lennart, Carl-Herbert Rokitansky, Arturo Vargas, Markus Kerschbaum, Christian Resch, Raimund Zopp, Matthieu Plu, Vincent-Henri Peuch, Michel Van Roozendael, and Gerhard Wotawa
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3367–3405, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-3367-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-3367-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The purpose of the EUNADICS-AV (European Natural Airborne Disaster Information and Coordination System for Aviation) prototype early warning system (EWS) is to develop the combined use of harmonised data products from satellite, ground-based and in situ instruments to produce alerts of airborne hazards (volcanic, dust, smoke and radionuclide clouds), satisfying the requirement of aviation air traffic management (ATM) stakeholders (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/723986).
Annelies Voordendag, Marion Réveillet, Shelley MacDonell, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 15, 4241–4259, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4241-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4241-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The sensitivity of two snow models (SNOWPACK and SnowModel) to various parameterizations and atmospheric forcing biases is assessed in the semi-arid Andes of Chile in winter 2017. Models show that sublimation is a main driver of ablation and that its relative contribution to total ablation is highly sensitive to the selected albedo parameterization and snow roughness length. The forcing and parameterizations are more important than the model choice, despite differences in physical complexity.
Roeland Van Malderen, Dirk De Muer, Hugo De Backer, Deniz Poyraz, Willem W. Verstraeten, Veerle De Bock, Andy W. Delcloo, Alexander Mangold, Quentin Laffineur, Marc Allaart, Frans Fierens, and Valérie Thouret
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12385–12411, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12385-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12385-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The main aim of initiating measurements of the vertical distribution of the ozone concentration by means of ozonesondes attached to weather balloons at Uccle in 1969 was to improve weather forecasts. Since then, this measurement technique has barely changed, but the dense, long-term, and homogeneous Uccle dataset currently remains crucial for studying the temporal evolution of ozone from the surface to the stratosphere and is also the backbone of the validation of satellite ozone retrievals.
Ruth Mottram, Nicolaj Hansen, Christoph Kittel, J. Melchior van Wessem, Cécile Agosta, Charles Amory, Fredrik Boberg, Willem Jan van de Berg, Xavier Fettweis, Alexandra Gossart, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Erik van Meijgaard, Andrew Orr, Tony Phillips, Stuart Webster, Sebastian B. Simonsen, and Niels Souverijns
The Cryosphere, 15, 3751–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We compare the calculated surface mass budget (SMB) of Antarctica in five different regional climate models. On average ~ 2000 Gt of snow accumulates annually, but different models vary by ~ 10 %, a difference equivalent to ± 0.5 mm of global sea level rise. All models reproduce observed weather, but there are large differences in regional patterns of snowfall, especially in areas with very few observations, giving greater uncertainty in Antarctic mass budget than previously identified.
Silje Lund Sørland, Roman Brogli, Praveen Kumar Pothapakula, Emmanuele Russo, Jonas Van de Walle, Bodo Ahrens, Ivonne Anders, Edoardo Bucchignani, Edouard L. Davin, Marie-Estelle Demory, Alessandro Dosio, Hendrik Feldmann, Barbara Früh, Beate Geyer, Klaus Keuler, Donghyun Lee, Delei Li, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Seung-Ki Min, Hans-Jürgen Panitz, Burkhardt Rockel, Christoph Schär, Christian Steger, and Wim Thiery
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 5125–5154, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5125-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5125-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We review the contribution from the CLM-Community to regional climate projections following the CORDEX framework over Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Australasia, and Africa. How the model configuration, horizontal and vertical resolutions, and choice of driving data influence the model results for the five domains is assessed, with the purpose of aiding the planning and design of regional climate simulations in the future.
Susanne Crewell, Kerstin Ebell, Patrick Konjari, Mario Mech, Tatiana Nomokonova, Ana Radovan, David Strack, Arantxa M. Triana-Gómez, Stefan Noël, Raul Scarlat, Gunnar Spreen, Marion Maturilli, Annette Rinke, Irina Gorodetskaya, Carolina Viceto, Thomas August, and Marc Schröder
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4829–4856, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4829-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4829-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Water vapor (WV) is an important variable in the climate system. Satellite measurements are thus crucial to characterize the spatial and temporal variability in WV and how it changed over time. In particular with respect to the observed strong Arctic warming, the role of WV still needs to be better understood. However, as shown in this paper, a detailed understanding is still hampered by large uncertainties in the various satellite WV products, showing the need for improved methods to derive WV.
Diana Francis, Kyle S. Mattingly, Stef Lhermitte, Marouane Temimi, and Petra Heil
The Cryosphere, 15, 2147–2165, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2147-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2147-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The unexpected September 2019 calving event from the Amery Ice Shelf, the largest since 1963 and which occurred almost a decade earlier than expected, was triggered by atmospheric extremes. Explosive twin polar cyclones provided a deterministic role in this event by creating oceanward sea surface slope triggering the calving. The observed record-anomalous atmospheric conditions were promoted by blocking ridges and Antarctic-wide anomalous poleward transport of heat and moisture.
Iris Thurnherr, Katharina Hartmuth, Lukas Jansing, Josué Gehring, Maxi Boettcher, Irina Gorodetskaya, Martin Werner, Heini Wernli, and Franziska Aemisegger
Weather Clim. Dynam., 2, 331–357, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-331-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-331-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Extratropical cyclones are important for the transport of moisture from low to high latitudes. In this study, we investigate how the isotopic composition of water vapour is affected by horizontal temperature advection associated with extratropical cyclones using measurements and modelling. It is shown that air–sea moisture fluxes induced by this horizontal temperature advection lead to the strong variability observed in the isotopic composition of water vapour in the marine boundary layer.
Veerle De Bock, Alexander Mangold, L. Gijsbert Tilstra, Olaf N. E. Tuinder, and Andy Delcloo
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2020-425, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2020-425, 2020
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
The Absorbing Aerosol Height (AAH) is a new GOME-2 product representing the height of absorbing aerosol layers. In this paper the AAH is validated against the layer height detected by CALIOP. We concluded that the AAH often underestimates the height of volcanic layers, so it should be handled with care when using it for aviation safety purposes. Taking into account the uncertainties, the product can be considered as an important added value for near-real time monitoring of volcanic ash layers.
Maialen Iturbide, José M. Gutiérrez, Lincoln M. Alves, Joaquín Bedia, Ruth Cerezo-Mota, Ezequiel Cimadevilla, Antonio S. Cofiño, Alejandro Di Luca, Sergio Henrique Faria, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Mathias Hauser, Sixto Herrera, Kevin Hennessy, Helene T. Hewitt, Richard G. Jones, Svitlana Krakovska, Rodrigo Manzanas, Daniel Martínez-Castro, Gemma T. Narisma, Intan S. Nurhati, Izidine Pinto, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Bart van den Hurk, and Carolina S. Vera
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2959–2970, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2959-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2959-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present an update of the IPCC WGI reference regions used in AR5 for the synthesis of climate change information. This revision was guided by the basic principles of climatic consistency and model representativeness (in particular for the new CMIP6 simulations). We also present a new dataset of monthly CMIP5 and CMIP6 spatially aggregated information using the new reference regions and describe a worked example of how to use this dataset to inform regional climate change studies.
Christiaan T. van Dalum, Willem Jan van de Berg, Stef Lhermitte, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 14, 3645–3662, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3645-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3645-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The reflectivity of sunlight, which is also known as albedo, is often inadequately modeled in regional climate models. Therefore, we have implemented a new snow and ice albedo scheme in the regional climate model RACMO2. In this study, we evaluate a new RACMO2 version for the Greenland ice sheet by using observations and the previous model version. RACMO2 output compares well with observations, and by including new processes we improve the ability of RACMO2 to make future climate projections.
Thore Kausch, Stef Lhermitte, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Nander Wever, Mana Inoue, Frank Pattyn, Sainan Sun, Sarah Wauthy, Jean-Louis Tison, and Willem Jan van de Berg
The Cryosphere, 14, 3367–3380, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3367-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3367-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Ice rises are elevated parts of the otherwise flat ice shelf. Here we study the impact of an Antarctic ice rise on the surrounding snow accumulation by combining field data and modeling. Our results show a clear difference in average yearly snow accumulation between the windward side, the leeward side and the peak of the ice rise due to differences in snowfall and wind erosion. This is relevant for the interpretation of ice core records, which are often drilled on the peak of an ice rise.
Margit Aun, Kaisa Lakkala, Ricardo Sanchez, Eija Asmi, Fernando Nollas, Outi Meinander, Larisa Sogacheva, Veerle De Bock, Antti Arola, Gerrit de Leeuw, Veijo Aaltonen, David Bolsée, Klara Cizkova, Alexander Mangold, Ladislav Metelka, Erko Jakobson, Tove Svendby, Didier Gillotay, and Bert Van Opstal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 6037–6054, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-6037-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-6037-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In 2017, new measurements of UV radiation started in Marambio, Antarctica, by the Finnish Meteorological Institute in collaboration with the Argentinian Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. The paper presents the results of UV irradiance measurements from March 2017 to March 2019, and it
compares them with those from 2000–2008 and also with UV measurements at other Antarctic stations. In 2017/2018, below average UV radiation levels were recorded due to favourable ozone and cloud conditions.
Marion Réveillet, Shelley MacDonell, Simon Gascoin, Christophe Kinnard, Stef Lhermitte, and Nicole Schaffer
The Cryosphere, 14, 147–163, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-147-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-147-2020, 2020
Sara Porchetta, Orkun Temel, Domingo Muñoz-Esparza, Joachim Reuder, Jaak Monbaliu, Jeroen van Beeck, and Nicole van Lipzig
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 6681–6700, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6681-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-6681-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Two-way feedback occurs between offshore wind and waves. Using an extensive data set of offshore measurements, we show that the wave roughness affecting the wind is dependent on the alignment between the wind and wave directions. Moreover, we propose a new roughness parameterization that takes into account the dependence on alignment. Using this in numerical models will facilitate a better representation of offshore wind, which is relevant to wind energy and and climate modeling.
Florentin Lemonnier, Jean-Baptiste Madeleine, Chantal Claud, Christophe Genthon, Claudio Durán-Alarcón, Cyril Palerme, Alexis Berne, Niels Souverijns, Nicole van Lipzig, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Tristan L'Ecuyer, and Norman Wood
The Cryosphere, 13, 943–954, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-943-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-943-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Evaluation of the vertical precipitation rate profiles of CloudSat radar by comparison with two surface-based micro-rain radars (MRR) located at two antarctic stations gives a near-perfect correlation between both datasets, even though climatic and geographic conditions are different for the stations. A better understanding and reassessment of CloudSat uncertainties ranging from −13 % up to +22 % confirms the robustness of the CloudSat retrievals of snowfall over Antarctica.
Alexandra Gossart, Stephen P. Palm, Niels Souverijns, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Stef Lhermitte, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-25, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-25, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Blowing snow measurements are scarce, both in time and space over the Antarctic ice sheet. We compare here CALIPSO satellite blowing snow measurements, to ground-base remote sensing ceilometer retrievals at two coastal stations in East Antarctica. Results indicate that 95 % of the blowing snow occurs under cloudy conditions, and are missed by the satellite. In addition, difficulties arise if comparing point locations to satellite overpasses.
Claudio Durán-Alarcón, Brice Boudevillain, Christophe Genthon, Jacopo Grazioli, Niels Souverijns, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, and Alexis Berne
The Cryosphere, 13, 247–264, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-247-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-247-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Precipitation is the main input in the surface mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet, but it is still poorly understood due to a lack of observations in this region. We analyzed the vertical structure of the precipitation using multiyear observation of vertically pointing micro rain radars (MRRs) at two stations located in East Antarctica. The use of MRRs showed the potential to study the effect of climatology and hydrometeor microphysics on the vertical structure of Antarctic precipitation.
Paul Herenz, Heike Wex, Alexander Mangold, Quentin Laffineur, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Zoë L. Fleming, Marios Panagi, and Frank Stratmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 275–294, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-275-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-275-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric aerosol particles were observed in Antarctica, at the Belgian Princess Elisabeth station during three austral summers. Possible source regions for the particles were examined. Air that spent more than 90 %; of the time during 10 days over Antarctica had low and stable number concentrations, while the highest (new particle formation) and lowest (scavenging and wet deposition) concentrations were observed for air masses that were more strongly influenced by the Southern Ocean.
Erlend M. Knudsen, Bernd Heinold, Sandro Dahlke, Heiko Bozem, Susanne Crewell, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Georg Heygster, Daniel Kunkel, Marion Maturilli, Mario Mech, Carolina Viceto, Annette Rinke, Holger Schmithüsen, André Ehrlich, Andreas Macke, Christof Lüpkes, and Manfred Wendisch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 17995–18022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17995-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-17995-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The paper describes the synoptic development during the ACLOUD/PASCAL airborne and ship-based field campaign near Svalbard in spring 2017. This development is presented using near-surface and upperair meteorological observations, satellite, and model data. We first present time series of these data, from which we identify and characterize three key periods. Finally, we put our observations in historical and regional contexts and compare our findings to other Arctic field campaigns.
Gabriel Gerard Rooney, Nicole van Lipzig, and Wim Thiery
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6357–6369, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6357-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6357-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This paper uses a unique observational dataset of a tropical African lake (L. Kivu) to assess the effect of rain on lake surface temperature. Data from 4 years were categorised by daily rain amount and total net radiation to show that heavy rain may reduce the end-of-day lake temperature by about 0.3 K. This is important since lake surface temperature may influence local weather on short timescales, but the effect of rain on lake temperature has been little studied or parametrised previously.
Niels Souverijns, Alexandra Gossart, Stef Lhermitte, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Jacopo Grazioli, Alexis Berne, Claudio Duran-Alarcon, Brice Boudevillain, Christophe Genthon, Claudio Scarchilli, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 12, 3775–3789, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3775-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3775-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Snowfall observations over Antarctica are scarce and currently limited to information from the CloudSat satellite. Here, a first evaluation of the CloudSat snowfall record is performed using observations of ground-based precipitation radars. Results indicate an accurate representation of the snowfall climatology over Antarctica, despite the low overpass frequency of the satellite, outperforming state-of-the-art model estimates. Individual snowfall events are however not well represented.
Inne Vanderkelen, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, and Wim Thiery
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5509–5525, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5509-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5509-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and one of the two major sources of the Nile river. The water level of Lake Victoria is determined by its water balance, consisting of lake precipitation and evaporation, inflow from rivers and lake outflow, controlled by two hydropower dams. Here, we present a water balance model for Lake Victoria, which closely represents the observed lake levels. The model results highlight the sensitivity of the lake level to human operations at the dam.
Inne Vanderkelen, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, and Wim Thiery
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5527–5549, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5527-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5527-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world and one of the major sources of the Nile River, which is controlled by two hydropower dams. In this paper we estimate the potential consequences of climate change for future water level fluctuations of Lake Victoria. Our results reveal that the operating strategies at the dam are the main controlling factors of future lake levels and that regional climate simulations used in the projections encompass large uncertainties.
Arno Keppens, Jean-Christopher Lambert, José Granville, Daan Hubert, Tijl Verhoelst, Steven Compernolle, Barry Latter, Brian Kerridge, Richard Siddans, Anne Boynard, Juliette Hadji-Lazaro, Cathy Clerbaux, Catherine Wespes, Daniel R. Hurtmans, Pierre-François Coheur, Jacob C. A. van Peet, Ronald J van der A, Katerina Garane, Maria Elissavet Koukouli, Dimitris S. Balis, Andy Delcloo, Rigel Kivi, Réné Stübi, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Michel Van Roozendael, and Claus Zehner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 3769–3800, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3769-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3769-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This work, performed at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy and the second in a series of four Ozone_cci papers, reports for the first time on data content studies, information content studies, and comparisons with co-located ground-based reference observations for all 13 nadir ozone profile data products that are part of the Climate Research Data Package (CRDP) on atmospheric ozone of the European Space Agency's Climate Change Initiative.
Christine A. Shields, Jonathan J. Rutz, Lai-Yung Leung, F. Martin Ralph, Michael Wehner, Brian Kawzenuk, Juan M. Lora, Elizabeth McClenny, Tashiana Osborne, Ashley E. Payne, Paul Ullrich, Alexander Gershunov, Naomi Goldenson, Bin Guan, Yun Qian, Alexandre M. Ramos, Chandan Sarangi, Scott Sellars, Irina Gorodetskaya, Karthik Kashinath, Vitaliy Kurlin, Kelly Mahoney, Grzegorz Muszynski, Roger Pierce, Aneesh C. Subramanian, Ricardo Tome, Duane Waliser, Daniel Walton, Gary Wick, Anna Wilson, David Lavers, Prabhat, Allison Collow, Harinarayan Krishnan, Gudrun Magnusdottir, and Phu Nguyen
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 2455–2474, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-2455-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-2455-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
ARTMIP (Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project) is a community effort with the explicit goal of understanding the uncertainties, and the implications of those uncertainties, in atmospheric river science solely due to detection algorithm. ARTMIP strives to quantify these differences and provide guidance on appropriate algorithmic choices for the science question posed. Project goals, experimental design, and preliminary results are provided.
Jan Melchior van Wessem, Willem Jan van de Berg, Brice P. Y. Noël, Erik van Meijgaard, Charles Amory, Gerit Birnbaum, Constantijn L. Jakobs, Konstantin Krüger, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Stef Lhermitte, Stefan R. M. Ligtenberg, Brooke Medley, Carleen H. Reijmer, Kristof van Tricht, Luke D. Trusel, Lambertus H. van Ulft, Bert Wouters, Jan Wuite, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 12, 1479–1498, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1479-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1479-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present a detailed evaluation of the latest version of the regional atmospheric climate model RACMO2.3p2 (1979-2016) over the Antarctic ice sheet. The model successfully reproduces the present-day climate and surface mass balance (SMB) when compared with an extensive set of observations and improves on previous estimates of the Antarctic climate and SMB.
This study shows that the latest version of RACMO2 can be used for high-resolution future projections over the AIS.
Brice Noël, Willem Jan van de Berg, J. Melchior van Wessem, Erik van Meijgaard, Dirk van As, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Stef Lhermitte, Peter Kuipers Munneke, C. J. P. Paul Smeets, Lambertus H. van Ulft, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 12, 811–831, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-811-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-811-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present a detailed evaluation of the latest version of the regional climate model RACMO2.3p2 at 11 km resolution (1958–2016) over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS). The model successfully reproduces the present-day climate and surface mass balance, i.e. snowfall minus meltwater run-off, of the GrIS compared to in situ observations. Since run-off from marginal narrow glaciers is poorly resolved at 11 km, further statistical downscaling to 1 km resolution is required for mass balance studies.
Alexandra Gossart, Niels Souverijns, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Stef Lhermitte, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Jan H. Schween, Alexander Mangold, Quentin Laffineur, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 11, 2755–2772, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2755-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2755-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Blowing snow plays an important role on local surface mass balance of Antarctica. We present here the blowing snow detection algorithm, to retrieve blowing snow occurrence from the attenuated backscatter signal of ceilometers set up at two station. There is a good correspondence in detection of heavy blowing snow by the algorithm and the visual observations performed at Neumayer station. Moreover, most of the blowing snow occurs during events bringing precipitation from the coast inland.
Elton Chan, Douglas Chan, Misa Ishizawa, Felix Vogel, Jerome Brioude, Andy Delcloo, Yuehua Wu, and Baisuo Jin
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2016-213, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2016-213, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
The main objective of this study is to examine the impacts of errors introduced by different components in our newly developed inversion system on flux estimates with a series of controlled experiments. It is very critical for any inversion system to be fully evaluated prior to applying to real observations. As demonstrated, the results can be very sensitive to the model setup and region. It is not reasonable to expect realistic results can always be obtained using the same approach.
Klaus-Peter Heue, Melanie Coldewey-Egbers, Andy Delcloo, Christophe Lerot, Diego Loyola, Pieter Valks, and Michel van Roozendael
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5037–5051, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5037-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5037-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The tropical tropospheric column ozone (TCO) from 5 GOME-type satellite instruments were harmonised to get a consistent time series of tropospheric ozone for 20 years. The time series showed a global ozone trend below 10 km of 0.7 DU per decade. Also the regional trends were analysed and trends up to 1.8 DU per decade or decreases as low as 0.8 DU per decade were observed. The TCO will be part of the operation product for Tropomi/S5P and thereby extended for at least 7 years.
Kristof Van Tricht, Stef Lhermitte, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 10, 2379–2397, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2379-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2379-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Despite the crucial role of polar regions in the global climate system, the limited availability of observations on the ground hampers a detailed understanding of their energy budget. Here we develop a method to use satellites to fill these observational gaps. We show that by sampling satellite observations in a smart way, coverage is greatly enhanced. We conclude that this method might help improve our understanding of the polar energy budget, and ultimately its effects on the global climate.
Brice Noël, Willem Jan van de Berg, Horst Machguth, Stef Lhermitte, Ian Howat, Xavier Fettweis, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 10, 2361–2377, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2361-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2361-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We present a 1 km resolution data set (1958–2015) of daily Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance (SMB), statistically downscaled from the data of RACMO2.3 at 11 km using elevation dependence, precipitation and bare ice albedo corrections. The data set resolves Greenland narrow ablation zones and local outlet glaciers, and shows more realistic SMB patterns, owing to enhanced runoff at the ice sheet margins. An evaluation of the product against SMB measurements shows improved agreement.
Hossein Tabari, Rozemien De Troch, Olivier Giot, Rafiq Hamdi, Piet Termonia, Sajjad Saeed, Erwan Brisson, Nicole Van Lipzig, and Patrick Willems
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3843–3857, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3843-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3843-2016, 2016
Paul Hublart, Denis Ruelland, Inaki García de Cortázar-Atauri, Simon Gascoin, Stef Lhermitte, and Antonio Ibacache
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3691–3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3691-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3691-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Our paper explores the reliability of conceptual catchment models in the dry Andes. First, we show that explicitly accounting for irrigation water use improves streamflow predictions during dry years. Second, we show that sublimation losses can be easily incorporated into temperature-based melt models without increasing model complexity too much. Our work also highlights areas requiring additional research, including the need for a better conceptualization of runoff generation processes.
Hendrik Wouters, Matthias Demuzere, Ulrich Blahak, Krzysztof Fortuniak, Bino Maiheu, Johan Camps, Daniël Tielemans, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 3027–3054, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3027-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3027-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
A methodology is presented for translating three-dimensional information of urban areas into land-surface parameters that can be easily employed in atmospheric modelling. As demonstrated with the COSMO-CLM model for a Belgian summer, it enables them to represent urban heat islands and their dependency on urban design with a low computational cost. It allows for efficiently incorporating urban information systems (e.g., WUDAPT) into climate change assessment and numerical weather prediction.
S. Hassinen, D. Balis, H. Bauer, M. Begoin, A. Delcloo, K. Eleftheratos, S. Gimeno Garcia, J. Granville, M. Grossi, N. Hao, P. Hedelt, F. Hendrick, M. Hess, K.-P. Heue, J. Hovila, H. Jønch-Sørensen, N. Kalakoski, A. Kauppi, S. Kiemle, L. Kins, M. E. Koukouli, J. Kujanpää, J.-C. Lambert, R. Lang, C. Lerot, D. Loyola, M. Pedergnana, G. Pinardi, F. Romahn, M. van Roozendael, R. Lutz, I. De Smedt, P. Stammes, W. Steinbrecht, J. Tamminen, N. Theys, L. G. Tilstra, O. N. E. Tuinder, P. Valks, C. Zerefos, W. Zimmer, and I. Zyrichidou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 383–407, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-383-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-383-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The three GOME-2 instruments will provide unique and long data sets for atmospheric research and applications. The complete time period will be 2007–2022, including the period of ozone depletion as well as the beginning of ozone layer recovery. The GOME-2 products (ozone, trace gases, aerosols and UV radiation) are important for ozone chemistry, air quality studies, climate modeling, policy monitoring and hazard warnings. The processing and dissemination is done by EUMETSAT O3M SAF project.
N. R. P. Harris, B. Hassler, F. Tummon, G. E. Bodeker, D. Hubert, I. Petropavlovskikh, W. Steinbrecht, J. Anderson, P. K. Bhartia, C. D. Boone, A. Bourassa, S. M. Davis, D. Degenstein, A. Delcloo, S. M. Frith, L. Froidevaux, S. Godin-Beekmann, N. Jones, M. J. Kurylo, E. Kyrölä, M. Laine, S. T. Leblanc, J.-C. Lambert, B. Liley, E. Mahieu, A. Maycock, M. de Mazière, A. Parrish, R. Querel, K. H. Rosenlof, C. Roth, C. Sioris, J. Staehelin, R. S. Stolarski, R. Stübi, J. Tamminen, C. Vigouroux, K. A. Walker, H. J. Wang, J. Wild, and J. M. Zawodny
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 9965–9982, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-9965-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-9965-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Trends in the vertical distribution of ozone are reported for new and recently revised data sets. The amount of ozone-depleting compounds in the stratosphere peaked in the second half of the 1990s. We examine the trends before and after that peak to see if any change in trend is discernible. The previously reported decreases are confirmed. Furthermore, the downward trend in upper stratospheric ozone has not continued. The possible significance of any increase is discussed in detail.
E. Chan, D. Chan, M. Ishizawa, F. Vogel, J. Brioude, A. Delcloo, Y. Wu, and B. Jin
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-15-22715-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-15-22715-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
This paper uses synthetic data experiments to investigate the impacts of different error sources associated with prior flux, transport model and optimisation method on the atmospheric greenhouse gas inverse estimates. Results indicate that estimation errors are dominated by the transport model error and can propagate to the flux estimates non-linearly. It is necessary to obtain stable and realistic results in synthetic data experiments before a real observation-based inversion is performed.
A. Keppens, J.-C. Lambert, J. Granville, G. Miles, R. Siddans, J. C. A. van Peet, R. J. van der A, D. Hubert, T. Verhoelst, A. Delcloo, S. Godin-Beekmann, R. Kivi, R. Stübi, and C. Zehner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 2093–2120, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-2093-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-2093-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This work thoroughly discusses a methodology, as summarized in a flowchart, for the round-robin evaluation and geophysical validation of nadir ozone profile retrievals and applies the proposed best practice to a pair of optimal-estimation algorithms run on exactly the same level-1 radiance measurements. The quality assessment combines data set content studies, information content studies, and comparisons with ground-based reference measurements.
I. V. Gorodetskaya, S. Kneifel, M. Maahn, K. Van Tricht, W. Thiery, J. H. Schween, A. Mangold, S. Crewell, and N. P. M. Van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 9, 285–304, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-285-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-285-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Our paper presents a new cloud-precipitation-meteorological observatory established in the escarpment zone of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. The site is characterised by bimodal cloud occurrence (clear sky or overcast) with liquid-containing clouds occurring 20% of the cloudy periods. Local surface mass balance strongly depends on rare intense snowfall events. A substantial part of the accumulated snow is removed by surface and drifting snow sublimation and wind-driven snow erosion.
V. De Bock, H. De Backer, R. Van Malderen, A. Mangold, and A. Delcloo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 12251–12270, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12251-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12251-2014, 2014
P. Valks, N. Hao, S. Gimeno Garcia, D. Loyola, M. Dameris, P. Jöckel, and A. Delcloo
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 2513–2530, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2513-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2513-2014, 2014
S. Lhermitte, J. Abermann, and C. Kinnard
The Cryosphere, 8, 1069–1086, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1069-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1069-2014, 2014
K. Van Tricht, I. V. Gorodetskaya, S. Lhermitte, D. D. Turner, J. H. Schween, and N. P. M. Van Lipzig
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 1153–1167, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1153-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1153-2014, 2014
W. Thiery, A. Martynov, F. Darchambeau, J.-P. Descy, P.-D. Plisnier, L. Sushama, and N. P. M. van Lipzig
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 317–337, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-317-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-317-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Mass Balance Obs
Mapping geodetically inferred Antarctic ice surface height changes into thickness changes: a sensitivity study
Globally consistent estimates of high-resolution Antarctic ice mass balance and spatially resolved glacial isostatic adjustment
On the importance of the humidity flux for the surface mass balance in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Combined GNSS reflectometry–refractometry for automated and continuous in situ surface mass balance estimation on an Antarctic ice shelf
Evaluating Greenland surface-mass-balance and firn-densification data using ICESat-2 altimetry
The regional-scale surface mass balance of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, over the period 2005–2014, derived from airborne radar soundings and neutron probe measurements
Sensitivity of inverse glacial isostatic adjustment estimates over Antarctica
Recent precipitation decrease across the western Greenland ice sheet percolation zone
Spatial and temporal distributions of surface mass balance between Concordia and Vostok stations, Antarctica, from combined radar and ice core data: first results and detailed error analysis
Natasha Valencic, Linda Pan, Konstantin Latychev, Natalya Gomez, Evelyn Powell, and Jerry X. Mitrovica
The Cryosphere, 18, 2969–2978, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2969-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2969-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We quantify the effect of ongoing Antarctic bedrock uplift due to Ice Age or modern ice mass changes on estimates of ice thickness changes obtained from satellite-based ice height measurements. We find that variations in the Ice Age signal introduce an uncertainty in estimates of total Antarctic ice change of up to ~10%. Moreover, the usual assumption that the mapping between modern ice height and thickness changes is uniform systematically underestimates net Antarctic ice volume changes.
Matthias O. Willen, Martin Horwath, Eric Buchta, Mirko Scheinert, Veit Helm, Bernd Uebbing, and Jürgen Kusche
The Cryosphere, 18, 775–790, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-775-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-775-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Shrinkage of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) leads to sea level rise. Satellite gravimetry measures AIS mass changes. We apply a new method that overcomes two limitations: low spatial resolution and large uncertainties due to the Earth's interior mass changes. To do so, we additionally include data from satellite altimetry and climate and firn modelling, which are evaluated in a globally consistent way with thoroughly characterized errors. The results are in better agreement with independent data.
Laura J. Dietrich, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Sonja Wahl, Anne-Katrine Faber, and Xavier Fettweis
The Cryosphere, 18, 289–305, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-289-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-289-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The contribution of the humidity flux to the surface mass balance in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet is uncertain. Here, we evaluate the regional climate model MAR using a multi-annual dataset of eddy covariance measurements and bulk estimates of the humidity flux. The humidity flux largely contributes to the summer surface mass balance (SMB) in the accumulation zone, indicating its potential importance for the annual SMB in a warming climate.
Ladina Steiner, Holger Schmithüsen, Jens Wickert, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 17, 4903–4916, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4903-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4903-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The present study illustrates the potential of a combined Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry and refractometry (GNSS-RR) method for accurate, simultaneous, and continuous estimation of in situ snow accumulation, snow water equivalent, and snow density time series. The combined GNSS-RR method was successfully applied on a fast-moving, polar ice shelf. The combined GNSS-RR approach could be highly advantageous for a continuous quantification of ice sheet surface mass balances.
Benjamin E. Smith, Brooke Medley, Xavier Fettweis, Tyler Sutterley, Patrick Alexander, David Porter, and Marco Tedesco
The Cryosphere, 17, 789–808, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-789-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-789-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We use repeated satellite measurements of the height of the Greenland ice sheet to learn about how three computational models of snowfall, melt, and snow compaction represent actual changes in the ice sheet. We find that the models do a good job of estimating how the parts of the ice sheet near the coast have changed but that two of the models have trouble representing surface melt for the highest part of the ice sheet. This work provides suggestions for how to better model snowmelt.
Stefan Kowalewski, Veit Helm, Elizabeth Mary Morris, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 15, 1285–1305, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1285-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1285-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents estimates of total mass input for the Pine Island Glacier (PIG) over the period 2005–2014 from airborne radar measurements. Our analysis reveals a total mass input similar to an earlier estimate for the period 1985–2009 and same area. This suggests a stationary total mass input contrary to the accelerated mass loss of PIG over the past decades. However, we also find that its uncertainty is highly sensitive to the geostatistical assumptions required for its calculation.
Matthias O. Willen, Martin Horwath, Ludwig Schröder, Andreas Groh, Stefan R. M. Ligtenberg, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 14, 349–366, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-349-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-349-2020, 2020
Gabriel Lewis, Erich Osterberg, Robert Hawley, Hans Peter Marshall, Tate Meehan, Karina Graeter, Forrest McCarthy, Thomas Overly, Zayta Thundercloud, and David Ferris
The Cryosphere, 13, 2797–2815, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2797-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2797-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We present accumulation records from sixteen 22–32 m long firn cores and 4436 km of ground-penetrating radar, covering the past 20–60 years of accumulation, collected across the western Greenland Ice Sheet percolation zone. Trends from both radar and firn cores, as well as commonly used regional climate models, show decreasing accumulation over the 1996–2016 period.
Emmanuel Le Meur, Olivier Magand, Laurent Arnaud, Michel Fily, Massimo Frezzotti, Marie Cavitte, Robert Mulvaney, and Stefano Urbini
The Cryosphere, 12, 1831–1850, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1831-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1831-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents surface mass balance measurements from both GPR and ice core data collected during a traverse in a so-far-unexplored area between the DC and Vostok stations. Results presented here will contribute to a better knowledge of the global mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet and thus help in constraining its contribution to sea level rise. Another novelty of the paper resides in the comprehensive error budget proposed for the method used for inferring accumulation rates.
Cited articles
Agosta, C., Favier, V., Genthon, C., Gallée, H., Krinner, G., Lenaerts,
J. T. M., and van den Broeke, M. R.: A 40-year accumulation dataset for
Adelie Land, Antarctica and its application for model validation, Clim.
Dynam., 38, 75–86, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-011-1103-4, 2012. a
Agosta, C., Favier, V., Krinner, G., Gallée, H., Fettweis, X., and
Genthon, C.: High-resolution modelling of the Antarctic surface mass
balance, application for the twentieth, twenty first and twenty second
centuries, Clim. Dynam., 41, 3247–3260,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-013-1903-9, 2013. a
Amory, C., Trouvilliez, A., Gallée, H., Favier, V., Naaim-Bouvet, F.,
Genthon, C., Agosta, C., Piard, L., and Bellot, H.: Comparison between
observed and simulated aeolian snow mass fluxes in Adélie Land, East
Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 9, 1373–1383,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1373-2015, 2015. a, b
Amory, C., Gallée, H., Naaim-Bouvet, F., Favier, V., Vignon, E.,
Picard,
G., Trouvilliez, A., Piard, L., Genthon, C., and Bellot, H.: Seasonal
Variations in Drag Coefficient over a Sastrugi-Covered Snowfield in Coastal
East Antarctica, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 164, 107–133,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-017-0242-5, 2017. a, b, c, d
Anderson, P.: A method for rescaling humidity sensors at temperatures well
below freezing, J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 11,
1388–1391, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(1994)011<1388:AMFRHS>2.0.CO;2, 1994. a
Barral, H., Genthon, C., Trouvilliez, A., Brun, C., and Amory, C.: Blowing
snow in coastal Adélie Land, Antarctica: three atmospheric-moisture issues,
The Cryosphere, 8, 1905–1919, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1905-2014, 2014. a, b
Battaglia, A. and Delanoë, J.: Synergies and complementarities of
Cloudsat-CALIPSO snow observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 721–731, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD018092, 2013. a
Beck, C. and Philipp, A.: Evaluation and comparison of circulation type
classifications for the European domain, Phys. Chem. Earth,
35, 374–387, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2010.01.001, 2010. a, b
Bellot, H., Trouvilliez, A., Naaim-Bouvet, F., Genthon, C., and Gallée,
H.: Present weather-sensor tests for measuring drifting snow, Ann.
Glaciol., 52, 176–184, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411797252356, 2011. a
Bintanja, R. and Reijmer, C. H.: A simple parameterization for snowdrift
sublimation, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 31739–31748,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD000107, 2001. a, b
Bliss, A. K., Cuffey, K. M., and Kavanaugh, J. L.: Sublimation and surface
energy budget of Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 57,
684–696, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311797409767, 2011. a
Bracegirdle, T. J. and Marshall, G. J.: The Reliability of Antarctic
Tropospheric Pressure and Temperature in the Latest Global Reanalyses,
J. Climate, 25, 7138–7146, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00685.1, 2012. a
Bromwich, D. H.: Snowfall in High Southern Latitudes, Rev. Geophys.,
26, 149–168, 1988. a
Bromwich, D. H., Guo, Z., Bai, L., and Chen, Q.-s.: Modeled Antarctic
Precipitation. Part I: Spatial and Temporal Variability, J. Climate,
17, 427–447, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017<0427:MAPPIS>2.0.CO;2, 2004. a
Bromwich, D. H., Nicolas, J. P., and Monaghan, A. J.: An Assessment of
Precipitation Changes over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean since 1989 in
Contemporary Global Reanalyses, J. Climate, 24, 4189–4209,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2011JCLI4074.1, 2011. a
Casado, M., Pastor, M., and Doblas-Reyes, F.: Links between circulation
types
and precipitation over Spain, Phys. Chemi. Earth, 35, 437–447, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2009.12.007, 2010. a, b
Casella, D., Panegrossi, G., Sano, P., Marra, A. C., Dietrich, S., Johnson,
B. T., and Kulie, M. S.: Evaluation of the GPM-DPR snowfall detection
capability: Comparison with CloudSat-CPR, Atmos. Res., 197, 64–75,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2017.06.018, 2017. a
Das, I., Bell, R. E., Scambos, T. A., Wolovick, M., Creyts, T. T., Studinger,
M., Frearson, N., Nicolas, J. P., Lenaerts, J. T. M., and van den Broeke,
M. R.: Influence of persistent wind scour on the surface mass balance of
Antarctica, Nat. Geosci., 6, 367–371, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1766, 2013. a, b
Davis, C. H., Li, Y., McConnel, J. R., Frey, M. M., and Hanna, E.:
Snowfall-Driven Growth in East Antarctic Ice Sheet Mitigates Recent
Sea-Level Rise, Science, 308, 1898–1901, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1110662,
2005. a
DeConto, R. M. and Pollard, D.: Contribution of Antarctica to past and
future
sea-level rise, Nature, 531, 591–597, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17145, 2016. a
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P., and
Kobayashi, S.: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of
the data assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteor.
Soc., 137, 553–597, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011. a
Déry, S. J. and Yau, M. K.: Simulation of blowing snow in the Canadian
Arctic using a double-moment model, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 99,
297–316, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018965008049, 2001. a
Dürr, B. and Philipona, R.: Automatic cloud amount detection by
surface
longwave downward radiation measurements, J. Geophys. Res.,
109, D05201, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JD004182, 2004. a
Eisen, O., Frezzotti, M., Genthon, C., Isaksson, E., Magand, O., van den
Broeke, M. R., Dixon, D. A., Ekaykin, A., Holmlund, P., Kameda, T.,
Karlöf, L., Kaspari, S., Lipenkov, V. Y., Oerter, H., Takahashi, S.,
and Vaughan, D. G.: Ground-based measurements of spatial and temporal
variability of snow accumulation in East Antarctica, Rev. Geophys.,
46, RG2001, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006RG000218,
2008. a, b, c
Favier, V., Agosta, C., Parouty, S., Durand, G., Delaygue, G., Gallée, H.,
Drouet, A.-S., Trouvilliez, A., and Krinner, G.: An updated and quality
controlled surface mass balance dataset for Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 7,
583–597, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-583-2013, 2013. a, b
Favier, V., Krinner, G., Amory, C., Gallée, H., Beaumet, J., and
Agosta,
C.: Antarctica-Regional Climate and Surface Mass Budget, Current Climate
Change Reports, 3, 303–315, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-017-0072-z,
2017. a
Frezzotti, M., Pourchet, M., Flora, O., Gandolfi, S., Gay, M., Urbini, S.,
Vincent, C., Becagli, S., Gragnani, R., Proposito, M., Severi, M., Traversi,
R., Udisti, R., and Fily, M.: Spatial and temporal variability of snow
accumulation in East Antarctica from traverse data, J. Glaciol.,
51, 113–124, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756505781829502, 2005. a
Gallée, H., Guyomarc'h, G., and Brun, E.: Impact of snow drift on the
Antarctic Ice Sheet surface mass balance: Possible sensitivity to
snow-surface properties, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 99, 1–19,
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018776422809, 2001. a
Gallée, H., Trouvilliez, A., Agosta, C., Genthon, C., Favier, V., and
Naaim-Bouvet, F.: Transport of Snow by the Wind: A Comparison Between
Observations in Adélie Land, Antarctica, and Simulations Made with the
Regional Climate Model MAR, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 146, 133–147,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-012-9764-z, 2013. a
Genthon, C. and Krinner, G.: Antarctic surface mass balance and systematic
biases in general circulation models, J. Geophys. Res., 106,
20653–20664, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD900136, 2001. a
Genthon, C., Kaspari, S., and Mayewski, P. A.: Interannual variability of
the
surface mass balance of West Antarctica from ITASE cores and ERA40
reanalyses, 1958-2000, Clim. Dynam., 24, 759–770,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-005-0019-2, 2005. a
Gorodetskaya, I. V., van Lipzig, N. P. M., van den Broeke, M. R., Mangold,
A.,
Boot, W., and Reijmer, C. H.: Meteorological regimes and accumulation
patterns at Utsteinen, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica: Analysis of two
contrasting years, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118,
1700–1715, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50177, 2013. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
Gorodetskaya, I. V., Tsukernik, M., Claes, K., Ralph, M., Neff, W., and van
Lipzig, N. P. M.: The role of atmospheric rivers in anomalous snow
accumulation in East Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 16,
6199–6206, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060881, 2014. a, b
Gorodetskaya, I. V., Kneifel, S., Maahn, M., Van Tricht, K., Thiery, W.,
Schween, J. H., Mangold, A., Crewell, S., and Van Lipzig, N. P. M.: Cloud and
precipitation properties from ground-based remote-sensing instruments in East
Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 9, 285–304,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-285-2015, 2015. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r
Gossart, A., Souverijns, N., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Lhermitte, S., Lenaerts, J.
T. M., Schween, J. H., Mangold, A., Laffineur, Q., and van Lipzig, N. P. M.:
Blowing snow detection from ground-based ceilometers: application to East
Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 11, 2755–2772,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2755-2017, 2017. a, b, c, d, e, f
Grazioli, J., Genthon, C., Boudevillain, B., Duran-Alarcon, C., Del Guasta,
M., Madeleine, J.-B., and Berne, A.: Measurements of precipitation in Dumont
d'Urville, Adélie Land, East Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 11, 1797–1811,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1797-2017, 2017a. a, b, c
Grazioli, J., Madeleine, J.-B., Gallée, H., Forbes, R. M., Genthon, C.,
Krinner, G., and Berne, A.: Katabatic winds diminish precipitation
contribution to the Antarctic ice mass balance, P. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, 114, 10858–10863, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1707633114,
2017b. a, b, c
Gregory, J. M. and Huybrechts, P.: Ice-sheet contributions to future
sea-level
change, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A, 364, 1709–1731,
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2006.1796, 2006. a
Groot Zwaaftink, C. D., Cagnati, A., Crepaz, A., Fierz, C., Macelloni, G.,
Valt, M., and Lehning, M.: Event-driven deposition of snow on the Antarctic
Plateau: analyzing field measurements with SNOWPACK, The Cryosphere, 7,
333–347, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-333-2013, 2013. a, b
Hirasawa, N., Nakamura, H., Motoyama, H., Hayashi, M., and Yamanouchi, T.:
The
role of synoptic-scale features and advection in prolonged warming and
generation of different forms of precipitation at Dome Fuji station,
Antarctica, following a prominent blocking event, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 118, 6916–6928, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50532, 2013. a, b
Huth, R., Beck, C., Philipp, A., Demuzere, M., Ustrnul, Z., Cahynová,
M.,
Kyselý, J., and Tveito, O. E.: Classifications of atmospheric
circulation patterns: recent advances and applications, Ann. NY Acad. Sci., 1146, 105–152, https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1446.019,
2008. a, b
King, J. C., Anderson, P. S., and Mann, G.: The seasonal cycle of
sublimation
at Halley, Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 47, 1–8,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756501781832548, 2001. a
Klugmann, D., Heinsohn, K., and Kirtzel, H.-J.: A low cost 24 GHz FM-CW
Doppler radar rain profiler, Contributions to Atmospheric Physics, 69,
247–253, 1996. a
Kneifel, S., Maahn, M., Peters, G., and Simmer, C.: Observation of snowfall
with a low-power FM-CW K-band radar (Micro Rain Radar), Meteorol.
Atmos. Phys., 113, 75–87, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-011-0142-z, 2011. a
König-Langlo, G. and Loose, B.: The Meteorological Observatory at
Neumayer Stations (GvN and NM-II) Antarctica, Polarforschung, 76, 25–38,
2006. a
Lenaerts, J. T. M. and van den Broeke, M. R.: Modeling drifting snow in
Antarctica with a regional climate model: 1. Methods and model evaluation,
J. Geophys. Res., 117, D05108, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD016145,
2012a. a, b
Lenaerts, J. T. M. and van den Broeke, M. R.: Modeling drifting snow in
Antarctica with a regional climate model: 2. Results, J. Geophys.
Res.h, 117, D05109, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015419,
2012b. a
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Brown, J., van den Broeke, M. R., Matsuoka, K., Drews,
R.,
Callens, D., Philippe, M., Gorodetskaya, I. V., van Meijgaard, E., Reijmer,
C. H., Pattyn, F., and van Lipzig, N. P. M.: High variability of climate and
surface mass balance induced by Antarctic ice rises, J. Glaciol.,
60, 1126–1134, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG14J040, 2014. a, b, c
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Vizcaino, M., Fyke, J., van Kampenhout, L., and van den
Broeke, M. R.: Present-day and future Antarctic ice sheet climate and
surface mass balance in the Community Earth System Model, Clim. Dynam.,
47, 1367–1381, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2907-4, 2016. a
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Lhermitte, S., Drews, R., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Berger,
S.,
Helm, V., Smeets, C. J. P. P., van den Broeke, M. R., van de Berg, W. J., van
Meijgaard, E., Eijkelboom, M., Eisen, O., and Pattyn, F.: Meltwater produced
by wind-albedo interaction stored in an East Antarctic ice shelf, Nat.
Clim. Change, 7, 58–62, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3180, 2017. a, b
Leonard, K. C. and Maksym, T.: The importance of wind-blown snow
redistribution to snow accumulation on Bellingshausen Sea ice, Ann.
Glaciol., 52, 271–278, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931651, 2011. a
Leonard, K. C., Tremblay, L. B., Thom, J. E., and MacAyeal, D. R.: Drifting
snow threshold measurements near McMurdo station, Antarctica: A sensor
comparison study, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 70, 71–80,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2011.08.001, 2012. a, b
Li, L. and Pomeroy, J. W.: Estimates of Threshold Wind Speeds for Snow
Transport Using Meteorological Data, J. Appl. Meteorol., 36,
205–213, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1997)036<0205:EOTWSF>2.0.CO;2, 1997. a, b, c
Libois, Q., Picard, G., Arnaud, L., Morin, S., and Brun, E.: Modeling the
impact of snow drift on the decameter-scale variability of snow properties on
the Antarctic Plateau, J. Geophys. Res., 119,
11662–11681, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022361, 2014. a, b, c, d
Ligtenberg, S. R. M., van de Berg, W. J., van den Broeke, M. R., Rae, J.
G. L.,
and van Meijgaard, E.: Future surface mass balance of the Antarctic ice
sheet and its influence on sea level change, simulated by a regional
atmospheric climate model, Clim. Dynam., 41, 867–884,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-013-1749-1, 2013. a
Maahn, M. and Kollias, P.: Improved Micro Rain Radar snow measurements using
Doppler spectra post-processing, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 5, 2661–2673,
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-2661-2012, 2012. a
Maahn, M., Burgard, C., Crewell, S., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Kneifel, S.,
Lhermitte, S., Van Tricht, K., and van Lipzig, N. P. M.: How does the
spaceborne radar blind zone affect derived surface snowfall statistics in
polar regions?, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119,
13604–13620, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022079, 2014. a
Magand, O., Genthon, C., Fily, M., Krinner, G., Picard, G., Frezzotti, M.,
and
Ekaykin, A. A.: An up-to-date quality-controlled surface mass balance data
set for the 90∘–180∘ E Antarctica sector and 1950–2005 period,
J.
Geophys. Res., 112, D12106, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007691, 2007. a
Mahesh, A., Eager, R., Campbell, J. R., and Spinhirne, J. D.: Observations
of
blowing snow at the South Pole, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4707,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD003327, 2003. a, b
Matrosov, S. Y., Shupe, M. D., and Djalalova, I. V.: Snowfall retrievals
using
millimeter-wavelength cloud radars, J. Appl. Meteorol.
Clim., 47, 769–777, https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JAMC1768.1, 2008. a
Newman, A. J., Kucera, P. A., and Bliven, L. F.: Presenting the Snowflake
Video Imager (SVI), J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 26,
167–179, https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JTECHA1148.1, 2009. a
Nishimura, K. and Ishimaru, T.: Development of an automatic blowing-snow
station, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 82, 30–35,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2012.05.005, 2012. a, b
Nishimura, K. and Nemoto, M.: Blowing snow at Mizuho station, Antarctica,
Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A, 363, 1647–1662, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2005.1599, 2005. a, b, c
Palerme, C., Kay, J. E., Genthon, C., L'Ecuyer, T., Wood, N. B., and Claud,
C.: How much snow falls on the Antarctic ice sheet?, The Cryosphere, 8,
1577–1587, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1577-2014, 2014. a, b
Palm, S. P., Yang, Y., Spinhirne, J. D., and Marshak, A.: Satellite remote
sensing of blowing snow properties over Antarctica, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 116, D16123, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD015828, 2011. a, b
Palm, S. P., Kayetha, V., Yang, Y., and Pauly, R.: Blowing snow sublimation
and transport over Antarctica from 11 years of CALIPSO observations, The
Cryosphere, 11, 2555–2569, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2555-2017, 2017. a
Parish, T. R. and Cassano, J. J.: The Role of Katabatic Winds on the
Antarctic
Surface Wind Regime, Mon. Weather Rev., 131, 317–333,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2003)131<0317:TROKWO>2.0.CO;2, 2003. a
Pattyn, F., Matsuoka, K., and Berte, J.: Glacio-meteorological conditions in
the vicinity of the Belgian Princess Elisabeth Station, Antarctica,
Antarct. Sci., 22, 79–85, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102009990344, 2010. a, b
Peters, G., Fischer, B., and Andersson, T.: Rain observations with a
vertically looking Micro Rain Radar (MRR), Boreal Environ. Res., 7,
353–362, 2002. a
Philipp, A., Della-Marta, P. M., Jacobeit, J., Fereday, D. R., Jones, P. D.,
Moberg, A., and Wanner, H.: Long-Term Variability of Daily North
Atlantic–European Pressure Patterns since 1850 Classified by Simulated
Annealing Clustering, J. Climate, 20, 4065–4095,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI4175.1,
2007. a
Philipp, A., Bartholy, J., Beck, C., Erpicum, M., Esteban, P., Fettweis, X.,
Huth, R., James, P., Jourdain, S., Kreienkamp, F., Krennert, T., Lykoudis,
S., Michalides, S. C., Pianko-Kluczynska, K., Post, P., Rasilla
Álvarez, D., Schiemann, R., Spekat, A., and Tymvios, F. S.:
Cost733cat – A database of weather and circulation type classifications,
Phys. Chem. Earth, 35, 360–373,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2009.12.010, 2010. a
Previdi, M. and Polvani, L. M.: Anthropogenic impact on Antarctic surface
mass
balance, currently masked by natural variability, to emerge by mid-century,
Environ. Res. Lett., 11, 094001,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/9/094001, 2016. a
Rignot, E., Velicogna, I., van den Broeke, M. R., Monaghan, A., and Lenaerts,
J. T. M.: Acceleration of the contribution of the Greenland and Antarctic
ice sheets to sea level rise, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L05503,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL046583, 2011. a, b
Rotschky, G., Holmlund, P., Isaksson, E., Mulvaney, R., Oerter, H., van den
Broeke, M. R., and Winther, J. G.: A new surface accumulation map for
western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, from interpolation of point
measurements, J. Glaciol., 53, 385–398,
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214307783258459, 2007. a
Rousseeuw, P. J.: Silhouettes: A graphical aid to the interpretation and
validation of cluster analysis, J. Comput. Appl.
Math., 20, 53–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-0427(87)90125-7, 1987. a
Scarchilli, C., Frezzotti, M., Grigioni, P., De Silvestri, L., Agnoletto,
L.,
and Dolci, S.: Extraordinary blowing snow transport events in East
Antarctica, Clim. Dynam., 34, 1195–1206,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-009-0601-0, 2010. a, b, c
Schlosser, E., Manning, K. W., Powers, J. G., Duda, M. G., Birnbaum, G., and
Fujita, K.: Characteristics of high-precipitation events in Dronning Maud
Land, Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 115, D14107,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013410, 2010. a
Shepherd, A., Ivins, E. R., Geruo, A., Barletta, V. R., Bentley, M. J.,
Bettadpur, S., Briggs, K. H., Bromwich, D. H., Forsberg, R., Galin, N.,
Horwath, M., Jacobs, S., Joughin, I., King, M. A., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Li,
J., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Luckman, A., Luthcke, S. B., McMillan, M., Meister,
R., Milne, G., Mouginot, J., Muir, A., Nicolas, J. P., Paden, J., Payne,
A. J., Pritchard, H., Rignot, E., Rott, H., Sorensen, L. S., Scambos, T. A.,
Scheuchl, B., Schrama, E. J. O., Smith, B., Sundal, A. V., van Angelen,
J. H., van de Berg, W. J., van den Broeke, M. R., Vaughan, D. G., Velicogna,
I., Wahr, J., Whitehouse, P. L., Wingham, D. J., Yi, D., Young, D., and
Zwally, H. J.: A Reconciled Estimate of Ice-Sheet Mass Balance, Science,
338, 1183–1189, 2012. a
Simmonds, I., Keay, K., and Lim, E.-P.: Synoptic Activity in the Seas around
Antarctica, Mon. Weather Rev., 131, 272–288,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2003)131<0272:SAITSA>2.0.CO;2, 2003. a, b
Souverijns, N., Thiery, W., Demuzere, M., and Van Lipzig, N. P. M.:
Drivers
of future changes in East African precipitation, Environ. Res.
Lett., 11, 114011, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/11/114011, 2016. a, b
Souverijns, N., Gossart, A., Lhermitte, S., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Kneifel, S.,
Maahn, M., Bliven, F. L., and van Lipzig, N. P. M.: Estimating radar
reflectivity – Snowfall rate relationships and their uncertainties over
Antarctica by combining disdrometer and radar observations, Atmos.
Res., 196, 211–223, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2017.06.001, 2017. a, b, c, d
Souverijns, N., Gossart, A., Gorodetskaya, I. V., and van Lipzig, N. P. M.:
Aerosol, Cloud and Precipitation database at the Princess Elisabeth station, Dronning Maud Land,
Antarctica, available at: http://www.aerocloud.be/database/,
last access: 8 June 2018. a
Stohl, A. and Seibert, P.: Accuracy of trajectories as determined from the
conservation of meteorological tracers, Q. J. Roy.
Meteor. Soc., 124, 1465–1484, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49712454907, 1998. a
Stohl, A., Wotawa, G., Seibert, P., and Kromp-Kolb, H.: Interpolation Errors
in Wind Fields as a Function of Spatial and Temporal Resolution and Their
Impact on Different Types of Kinematic Trajectories, J. Appl.
Meteorol., 34, 2149–2165,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1995)034<2149:IEIWFA>2.0.CO;2, 1995. a
Takahashi, S.: Characteristics of drifting snow at Mizuho Station,
Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 6, 71–75,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260305500010028, 1985. a
Thiery, W., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Bintanja, R., Van Lipzig, N. P. M., Van den
Broeke, M. R., Reijmer, C. H., and Kuipers Munneke, P.: Surface and snowdrift
sublimation at Princess Elisabeth station, East Antarctica, The Cryosphere,
6, 841–857, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-841-2012, 2012. a, b, c
Thomas, E. R., van Wessem, J. M., Roberts, J., Isaksson, E., Schlosser, E.,
Fudge, T. J., Vallelonga, P., Medley, B., Lenaerts, J., Bertler, N., van den
Broeke, M. R., Dixon, D. A., Frezzotti, M., Stenni, B., Curran, M., and
Ekaykin, A. A.: Regional Antarctic snow accumulation over the past 1000
years, Clim. Past, 13, 1491–1513, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1491-2017,
2017. a
Trouvilliez, A., Naaim-Bouvet, F., Genthon, C., Piard, L., Favier, V.,
Bellot,
H., Agosta, C., Palerme, C., Amory, C., and Gallée, H.: A novel
experimental study of aeolian snow transport in Adelie Land (Antarctica),
Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 108, 125–138,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2014.09.005,
2014. a, b, c, d
van den Broeke, M. R. and van Lipzig, N. P. M.: Factors Controlling the
Near-Surface Wind Field in Antarctica, Mon. Weather Rev., 131,
733–743, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2003)131<0733:FCTNSW>2.0.CO;2, 2003. a
van Lipzig, N. P. M., van Meijgaard, E., and Oerlemans, J.: The spatial and
temporal variability of the surface mass balance in Antarctica: results from
a regional atmospheric climate model, Int. J. Climatol.,
22, 1197–1217, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.798, 2002.
a, b
van Lipzig, N. P. M., King, J. C., Lachlan-Cope, T. A., and van den Broeke,
M. R.: Precipitation, sublimation, and snow drift in the Antarctic Peninsula
region from a regional atmospheric model, J. Geophys. Res.,
109, D24106, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JD004701, 2004. a
Van Tricht, K., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Lhermitte, S., Turner, D. D., Schween,
J. H., and Van Lipzig, N. P. M.: An improved algorithm for polar cloud-base
detection by ceilometer over the ice sheets, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7,
1153–1167, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1153-2014, 2014. a
van Wessem, J. M., Reijmer, C. H., Lenaerts, J. T. M., van de Berg, W. J.,
van den Broeke, M. R., and van Meijgaard, E.: Updated cloud physics in a
regional atmospheric climate model improves the modelled surface energy
balance of Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 8, 125–135,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-125-2014, 2014. a
Vaughan, D., Comiso, J., Allison, I., Carrasco, J., Kaser, G., Kwok, R.,
Mote,
P., Murray, T., Paul, F., Ren, J., Rignot, E., Solomina, O., Steffen, K., and
Zhang, T.: Observations: Cryosphere, in: Climate Change 2013: The Physical
Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by: Stocker,
T., Qin, D., Plattner, G.-K., Tignor, M., Allen, S., Boschung, J., Nauels,
A., Xia, Y., Bex, V., and Midgley, P., Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA,
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.012, 317–382, 2013. a
Vaughan, D. G., Bamber, J. L., Giovinetto, M., Russell, J., and Cooper, A.
P. R.: Reassessment of Net Surface Mass Balance in Antarctica, J.
Climate, 12, 933–946, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1999)012<0933:RONSMB>2.0.CO;2,
1999. a, b, c
Wang, Y., Ding, M., van Wessem, J. M., Schlosser, E., Altnau, S., van den
Broeke, M. R., Lenaerts, J. T., Thomas, E. R., Isaksson, E., Wang, J., and
Sun, W.: A comparison of Antarctic ice sheet surface mass balance from
atmospheric climate models and in situ observations, J. Climate, 29,
5317–5337, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0642.1, 2016. a, b
Wiegner, M., Madonna, F., Binietoglou, I., Forkel, R., Gasteiger, J.,
Geiß, A., Pappalardo, G., Schäfer, K., and Thomas, W.: What is the
benefit of ceilometers for aerosol remote sensing? An answer from EARLINET,
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 1979–1997, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1979-2014,
2014. a
Wood, N. B.: Estimation of snow microphysical properties with application to
millimeter-wavelength radar retrievals for snowfall rate, PhD thesis,
Colorado State University, Colorado,
available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10217/48170 (last access: 8 June 2018),
2011. a
Short summary
This work is the first to gain insight into the local surface mass balance over Antarctica using accurate long-term snowfall observations. A non-linear relationship between accumulation and snowfall is discovered, indicating that total surface mass balance measurements are not a good proxy for snowfall over Antarctica. Furthermore, the meteorological drivers causing changes in the local SMB are identified.
This work is the first to gain insight into the local surface mass balance over Antarctica using...
