Circumpolar patterns of potential mean annual ground temperature based on surface state obtained from microwave satellite data

Kroisleitner, Christine; Bartsch, Annett; Bergstedt, Helena

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2349-2018

Articles | Volume 12, issue 7

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2349-2018

© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Changing Permafrost in the Arctic and its Global Effects in...

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2349-2018

© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 12, issue 7

Research article

|

18 Jul 2018

Research article |

| 18 Jul 2018

Circumpolar patterns of potential mean annual ground temperature based on surface state obtained from microwave satellite data

Christine Kroisleitner, Annett Bartsch, and Helena Bergstedt

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Final revised paper (published on 18 Jul 2018)
Preprint (discussion started on 05 Sep 2017)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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- Supplement

RC1: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #1, 29 Sep 2017
- AC1: 'Reply to comments referee #1', Annett Bartsch, 20 Oct 2017
- AC3: 'addition to reply to referee #1', Annett Bartsch, 29 Oct 2017
RC2: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #2, 01 Oct 2017
- AC2: 'Reply to comments by referee #2', Annett Bartsch, 20 Oct 2017
- AC4: 'Addition to reply to referee #2', Annett Bartsch, 29 Oct 2017
RC3: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #3, 11 Dec 2017
- AC5: 'Reply to referee #3', Annett Bartsch, 08 Jan 2018
EC1: 'revisions of your paper', Julia Boike, 19 Jan 2018

Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision

AR by Annett Bartsch on behalf of the Authors (05 Feb 2018) Author's response Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (12 Feb 2018) by Julia Boike

RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (22 Feb 2018)

Suggestions for revision or reasons for rejection

While the manuscript has improved in several aspects, a number of issues raised in the first round of reviews remain. Among the improvements, I particularly appreciate the comparison across a gradient of snow conditions. However, there is a host of other important surface properties (e.g. vegetation, organic soils) that continue to be treated very superficially. As they are generally not independent of the analysed surface variables (like snow), they may confound many of the interpretations made in the manuscript. In particular, the deviations of the model predictions generally conform to the expectations when it comes to the surface cover (Fig. 13); however, these deviations are not considered in the analyses or even acknowledged as a limitation of the global approach presented herein. A further issue in this context is the inadequate presentation of the results: there is no map representation of the ASCAT-derived MAGT, and the regional taxonomy opted for by the authors is not helpful in this respect either (almost all of the regions are extremely heterogeneous in terms of permafrost and climatic conditions).

Furthermore, the lack of focus identified in the previous round of reviews persists. The conclusions illustrate this point, as the third paragraph deals with the 180 days threshold (purportedly of lesser importance) without qualifying this number or providing an appropriate context.

Minor point:
In the revised introduction, the authors state that the successful use of the number of frozen days as an indicator of subsurface temperature conditions requires that the annual temperature follow a sinusoid. This is not clear to me. Also, it is not revisited in the remainder of the manuscript.

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RR by Anonymous Referee #3 (23 Feb 2018)

RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (27 Feb 2018)

ED: Reconsider after major revisions (01 Mar 2018) by Julia Boike

AR by Annett Bartsch on behalf of the Authors (11 Apr 2018) Author's response Manuscript

ED: Reconsider after major revisions (01 May 2018) by Julia Boike

AR by Annett Bartsch on behalf of the Authors (14 May 2018) Author's response Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (25 May 2018) by Julia Boike

RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (12 Jun 2018)

ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (14 Jun 2018) by Julia Boike

AR by Annett Bartsch on behalf of the Authors (23 Jun 2018) Author's response Manuscript

ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (03 Jul 2018) by Julia Boike

AR by Annett Bartsch on behalf of the Authors (04 Jul 2018) Manuscript

Short summary

Knowledge about permafrost extent is required with respect to climate change. We used borehole temperature records from across the Arctic for the assessment of surface status information (frozen or unfrozen) derived from space-borne microwave sensors for permafrost extent mapping. The comparison to mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) at the coldest sensor depth revealed that not only extent but also temperature can be obtained from C-band-derived surface state with a residual error of 2.22 °C.