Articles | Volume 12, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2159-2018
© 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-12-2159-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Sunlight, clouds, sea ice, albedo, and the radiative budget: the umbrella versus the blanket
Donald K. Perovich
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, 03755, USA
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Cited
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Characterizing the influence of Atlantic water intrusion on water mass formation and phytoplankton distribution in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard C. Payne & C. Roesler https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2019.104005
- Short‐term Impacts of Arctic Summer Cyclones on Sea Ice Extent in the Marginal Ice Zone P. Finocchio et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088338
- Arctic Sea Ice Surface Temperature Retrieval from FengYun-3A MERSI-I Data Y. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16234599
- Thermodynamical and Dynamical Impacts of an Intense Cyclone on Arctic Sea Ice Z. Tian et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018436
- Arctic multiyear sea ice variability observed from satellites: a review H. Bi et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-020-0093-7
- Arctic summer sea ice phenology including ponding from 1982 to 2017 X. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-022-1993-5
- FTIR autecological analysis of bottom-ice diatom taxa across a tidal strait in the Canadian Arctic N. Pogorzelec et al. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2021.00094
- How Much Do Clouds Mask the Impacts of Arctic Sea Ice and Snow Cover Variations? Different Perspectives from Observations and Reanalyses A. Sledd & T. L’Ecuyer https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10010012
- Summer Cyclones and Their Association With Short-Term Sea Ice Variability in the Pacific Sector of the Arctic P. Finocchio & J. Doyle https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.738497
- A recent stabilization in the lengthening of the Arctic sea ice melt season into a highly variable regime L. Boisvert et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03534-8
- Unveiling nonlinear effects of built environment attributes on urban heat resilience using interpretable machine learning Q. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2024.102046
- An integrated index of cryospheric change in the Northern Hemisphere X. Peng et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2022.103984
- Seasonal transition dates can reveal biases in Arctic sea ice simulations A. Smith et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2977-2020
- What determines the Arctic solar radiation energy budget at the surface most strongly: Clouds, surface albedo, or the solar zenith angle? E. Jäkel et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemets.2025.100016
- Distinct Role of a Spring Atmospheric Circulation Mode in the Arctic Sea Ice Decline in Summer H. Bi et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD037477
- Unprecedented Beaufort Sea ice loss in late summer 2021 and its relationship to an extended period of unusually stormy weather T. Ballinger et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae1626
- Spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation introduced by clouds over Arctic sea ice C. Barrientos Velasco et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1757-2020
- Impacts of synoptic-scale cyclones on Arctic sea-ice concentration: a systematic analysis E. Schreiber & M. Serreze https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.23
- The influence of recent and future climate change on spring Arctic cyclones C. Parker et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34126-7
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Characterizing the influence of Atlantic water intrusion on water mass formation and phytoplankton distribution in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard C. Payne & C. Roesler https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2019.104005
- Short‐term Impacts of Arctic Summer Cyclones on Sea Ice Extent in the Marginal Ice Zone P. Finocchio et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088338
- Arctic Sea Ice Surface Temperature Retrieval from FengYun-3A MERSI-I Data Y. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16234599
- Thermodynamical and Dynamical Impacts of an Intense Cyclone on Arctic Sea Ice Z. Tian et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018436
- Arctic multiyear sea ice variability observed from satellites: a review H. Bi et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-020-0093-7
- Arctic summer sea ice phenology including ponding from 1982 to 2017 X. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-022-1993-5
- FTIR autecological analysis of bottom-ice diatom taxa across a tidal strait in the Canadian Arctic N. Pogorzelec et al. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2021.00094
- How Much Do Clouds Mask the Impacts of Arctic Sea Ice and Snow Cover Variations? Different Perspectives from Observations and Reanalyses A. Sledd & T. L’Ecuyer https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10010012
- Summer Cyclones and Their Association With Short-Term Sea Ice Variability in the Pacific Sector of the Arctic P. Finocchio & J. Doyle https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.738497
- A recent stabilization in the lengthening of the Arctic sea ice melt season into a highly variable regime L. Boisvert et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03534-8
- Unveiling nonlinear effects of built environment attributes on urban heat resilience using interpretable machine learning Q. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2024.102046
- An integrated index of cryospheric change in the Northern Hemisphere X. Peng et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2022.103984
- Seasonal transition dates can reveal biases in Arctic sea ice simulations A. Smith et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2977-2020
- What determines the Arctic solar radiation energy budget at the surface most strongly: Clouds, surface albedo, or the solar zenith angle? E. Jäkel et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemets.2025.100016
- Distinct Role of a Spring Atmospheric Circulation Mode in the Arctic Sea Ice Decline in Summer H. Bi et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD037477
- Unprecedented Beaufort Sea ice loss in late summer 2021 and its relationship to an extended period of unusually stormy weather T. Ballinger et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae1626
- Spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation introduced by clouds over Arctic sea ice C. Barrientos Velasco et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1757-2020
- Impacts of synoptic-scale cyclones on Arctic sea-ice concentration: a systematic analysis E. Schreiber & M. Serreze https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.23
- The influence of recent and future climate change on spring Arctic cyclones C. Parker et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34126-7
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 26 Jul 2026
Short summary
The balance of longwave and shortwave radiation plays a central role in the summer melt of Arctic sea ice. It is governed by clouds and surface albedo. The basic question is what causes more melting, sunny skies or cloudy skies. It depends on the albedo of the ice surface. For snow-covered or bare ice, sunny skies always result in less radiative heat input. In contrast, the open ocean always has, and melt ponds usually have, more radiative input under sunny skies than cloudy skies.
The balance of longwave and shortwave radiation plays a central role in the summer melt of...