Articles | Volume 14, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3195-2020
© Author(s) 2020. 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-14-3195-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Sep 2020
Research article |
| 21 Sep 2020
| 21 Sep 2020
How much snow falls in the world's mountains? A first look at mountain snowfall estimates in A-train observations and reanalyses
Anne Sophie Daloz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), University of
Wisconsin-Madison, 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, 53706 WI, USA
Center for Climatic Research (CCR), University of Wisconsin-Madison,
1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, 53706 WI, USA
Center for International Climate Research (CICERO),
Gaustadalleen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway
Marian Mateling
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS), University of
Wisconsin-Madison,
1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, 53706 WI, USA
Tristan L'Ecuyer
Center for Climatic Research (CCR), University of Wisconsin-Madison,
1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, 53706 WI, USA
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS), University of
Wisconsin-Madison,
1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, 53706 WI, USA
Mark Kulie
NOAA/NESDIS/STAR/Advanced Satellite Products Branch,
1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Norm B. Wood
Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), University of
Wisconsin-Madison, 1225 West Dayton Street, Madison, 53706 WI, USA
Mikael Durand
School of Earth Sciences and Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Ohio State University,
108 Scott Hall, 1090 Carmack Rd, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Melissa Wrzesien
Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
GESTAR, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, Maryland 21046, USA
Camilla W. Stjern
Center for International Climate Research (CICERO),
Gaustadalleen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway
Ashok P. Dimri
School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi, 110067, India
Related authors
Nicole van Maanen, Marleen de Ruiter, Wiebke Jäger, Veronica Casartelli, Roxana Ciurean, Noemi Padron, Anne Sophie Daloz, David Geurts, Stefania Gottardo, Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler, Abel López Diez, Jaime Díaz Pacheco, Pedro Dorta Antequera, Tamara Febles Arévalo, Sara García González, Raúl Hernández-Martín, Carmen Alvarez-Albelo, Juan José Diaz-Hernandez, Lin Ma, Letizia Monteleone, Karina Reiter, Tristian Stolte, Robert Šakić Trogrlić, Silvia Torresan, Sharon Tatman, David Romero Manrique de Lara, Yeray Hernández González, and Philip J. Ward
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3075, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3075, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth System Dynamics (ESD).
Short summary
Short summary
Disaster risk management faces growing challenges from multiple, changing hazards. Interviews with stakeholders in five European regions reveal that climate change, urban growth, and socio-economic shifts increase vulnerability and exposure. Measures to reduce one risk can worsen others, highlighting the need for better coordination. The study calls for flexible, context-specific strategies that connect scientific risk assessments with real-world decision-making.
Franziska Hellmuth, Tim Carlsen, Anne Sophie Daloz, Robert Oscar David, Haochi Che, and Trude Storelvmo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1353–1383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1353-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1353-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This article compares the occurrence of supercooled liquid-containing clouds (sLCCs) and their link to surface snowfall in CloudSat–CALIPSO, ERA5, and the CMIP6 models. Significant discrepancies were found, with ERA5 and CMIP6 consistently overestimating sLCC and snowfall frequency. This bias is likely due to cloud microphysics parameterization. This conclusion has implications for accurately representing cloud phase and snowfall in future climate projections.
Gwendoline Ducros, Timothy Tiggeloven, Lin Ma, Anne Sophie Daloz, Nina Schuhen, and Marleen C. de Ruiter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3158, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3158, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study finds that heatwave, drought and wildfire events occurring simultaneously in Scandinavia are pronounced in the summer months; and the heat-drought 2018 event led to a drop in gross domestic product, affecting agriculture and forestry imports, further impacting Europe’s trade balance. This research shows the importance of ripple effects of multi-hazard, and that forest management and adaptation measures are vital to reducing the risks of heat-related multi-hazards in vulnerable areas.
Benjamin Poschlod and Anne Sophie Daloz
The Cryosphere, 18, 1959–1981, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1959-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1959-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Information about snow depth is important within climate research but also many other sectors, such as tourism, mobility, civil engineering, and ecology. Climate models often feature a spatial resolution which is too coarse to investigate snow depth. Here, we analyse high-resolution simulations and identify added value compared to a coarser-resolution state-of-the-art product. Also, daily snow depth extremes are well reproduced by two models.
Clemens Schwingshackl, Anne Sophie Daloz, Carley Iles, Kristin Aunan, and Jana Sillmann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 331–354, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-331-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-331-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ambient heat in European cities will substantially increase under global warming, as projected by three heat metrics calculated from high-resolution climate model simulations. While the heat metrics consistently project high levels of ambient heat for several cities, in other cities the projected heat levels vary considerably across the three heat metrics. Using complementary heat metrics for projections of ambient heat is thus important for assessments of future risks from heat stress.
Anne Sophie Daloz, Clemens Schwingshackl, Priscilla Mooney, Susanna Strada, Diana Rechid, Edouard L. Davin, Eleni Katragkou, Nathalie de Noblet-Ducoudré, Michal Belda, Tomas Halenka, Marcus Breil, Rita M. Cardoso, Peter Hoffmann, Daniela C. A. Lima, Ronny Meier, Pedro M. M. Soares, Giannis Sofiadis, Gustav Strandberg, Merja H. Toelle, and Marianne T. Lund
The Cryosphere, 16, 2403–2419, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2403-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2403-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Snow plays a major role in the regulation of the Earth's surface temperature. Together with climate change, rising temperatures are already altering snow in many ways. In this context, it is crucial to better understand the ability of climate models to represent snow and snow processes. This work focuses on Europe and shows that the melting season in spring still represents a challenge for climate models and that more work is needed to accurately simulate snow–atmosphere interactions.
Priscilla A. Mooney, Diana Rechid, Edouard L. Davin, Eleni Katragkou, Natalie de Noblet-Ducoudré, Marcus Breil, Rita M. Cardoso, Anne Sophie Daloz, Peter Hoffmann, Daniela C. A. Lima, Ronny Meier, Pedro M. M. Soares, Giannis Sofiadis, Susanna Strada, Gustav Strandberg, Merja H. Toelle, and Marianne T. Lund
The Cryosphere, 16, 1383–1397, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1383-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1383-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We use multiple regional climate models to show that afforestation in sub-polar and alpine regions reduces the radiative impact of snow albedo on the atmosphere, reduces snow cover, and delays the start of the snowmelt season. This is important for local communities that are highly reliant on snowpack for water resources and winter tourism. However, models disagree on the amount of change particularly when snow is melting. This shows that more research is needed on snow–vegetation interactions.
Feifei Luo, Bjørn H. Samset, Camilla W. Stjern, Manoj Joshi, Laura J. Wilcox, Robert J. Allen, Wei Hua, and Shuanglin Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7647–7667, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7647-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7647-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Black carbon (BC) aerosol is emitted from the incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuels. We found that Asian BC leads to strong local cooling and drying. Reductions in precipitation primarily depend on the thermodynamic effects due to solar radiation absorption by BC. The combined thermodynamic and dynamic effects shape the spatial pattern of precipitation responses to Asian BC. These results help us further understand the impact of emissions of anthropogenic aerosols on Asian climate.
Nicole van Maanen, Marleen de Ruiter, Wiebke Jäger, Veronica Casartelli, Roxana Ciurean, Noemi Padron, Anne Sophie Daloz, David Geurts, Stefania Gottardo, Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler, Abel López Diez, Jaime Díaz Pacheco, Pedro Dorta Antequera, Tamara Febles Arévalo, Sara García González, Raúl Hernández-Martín, Carmen Alvarez-Albelo, Juan José Diaz-Hernandez, Lin Ma, Letizia Monteleone, Karina Reiter, Tristian Stolte, Robert Šakić Trogrlić, Silvia Torresan, Sharon Tatman, David Romero Manrique de Lara, Yeray Hernández González, and Philip J. Ward
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3075, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3075, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth System Dynamics (ESD).
Short summary
Short summary
Disaster risk management faces growing challenges from multiple, changing hazards. Interviews with stakeholders in five European regions reveal that climate change, urban growth, and socio-economic shifts increase vulnerability and exposure. Measures to reduce one risk can worsen others, highlighting the need for better coordination. The study calls for flexible, context-specific strategies that connect scientific risk assessments with real-world decision-making.
Chanyoung Park, Brian J. Soden, Ryan J. Kramer, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, and Haozhe He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7299–7313, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7299-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7299-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study addresses the long-standing challenge of quantifying the impact of aerosol–cloud interactions. Using satellite observations, reanalysis data, and a "perfect-model" cross-validation, we show that explicitly accounting for aerosol–cloud droplet activation rates is key to accurately estimating ERFaci (effective radiative forcing due to aerosol–cloud interactions). Our results indicate a smaller and less uncertain ERFaci than previously assessed, implying the reduced role of aerosol–cloud interactions in shaping climate sensitivity.
Duncan Watson-Parris, Laura J. Wilcox, Camilla W. Stjern, Robert J. Allen, Geeta Persad, Massimo A. Bollasina, Annica M. L. Ekman, Carley E. Iles, Manoj Joshi, Marianne T. Lund, Daniel McCoy, Daniel M. Westervelt, Andrew I. L. Williams, and Bjørn H. Samset
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4443–4454, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4443-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4443-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In 2020, regulations by the International Maritime Organization aimed to reduce aerosol emissions from ships. These aerosols previously had a cooling effect, which the regulations might reduce, revealing more greenhouse gas warming. Here we find that, while there is regional warming, the global 2020–2040 temperature rise is only +0.03 °C. This small change is difficult to distinguish from natural climate variability, indicating the regulations have had a limited effect on observed warming to date.
Franziska Hellmuth, Tim Carlsen, Anne Sophie Daloz, Robert Oscar David, Haochi Che, and Trude Storelvmo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1353–1383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1353-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1353-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This article compares the occurrence of supercooled liquid-containing clouds (sLCCs) and their link to surface snowfall in CloudSat–CALIPSO, ERA5, and the CMIP6 models. Significant discrepancies were found, with ERA5 and CMIP6 consistently overestimating sLCC and snowfall frequency. This bias is likely due to cloud microphysics parameterization. This conclusion has implications for accurately representing cloud phase and snowfall in future climate projections.
Kieran M. R. Hunt, Jean-Philippe Baudouin, Andrew G. Turner, A. P. Dimri, Ghulam Jeelani, Pooja, Rajib Chattopadhyay, Forest Cannon, T. Arulalan, M. S. Shekhar, T. P. Sabin, and Eliza Palazzi
Weather Clim. Dynam., 6, 43–112, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-6-43-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-6-43-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Western disturbances (WDs) are storms that predominantly affect north India and Pakistan during the winter months, where they play an important role in regional water security, but can also bring a range of natural hazards. In this review, we summarise recent literature across a range of topics: their structure and lifecycle, precipitation and impacts, interactions with large-scale weather patterns, representation in models, how well they are forecast, and their response to changes in climate.
Gwendoline Ducros, Timothy Tiggeloven, Lin Ma, Anne Sophie Daloz, Nina Schuhen, and Marleen C. de Ruiter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3158, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3158, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study finds that heatwave, drought and wildfire events occurring simultaneously in Scandinavia are pronounced in the summer months; and the heat-drought 2018 event led to a drop in gross domestic product, affecting agriculture and forestry imports, further impacting Europe’s trade balance. This research shows the importance of ripple effects of multi-hazard, and that forest management and adaptation measures are vital to reducing the risks of heat-related multi-hazards in vulnerable areas.
Natasha Vos, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, and Tim Michaels
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2040, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2040, 2024
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
PREFIRE uses two CubeSats to make novel measurements of outgoing energy. The CubeSats will frequently resample regions, forming orbit “intersections” that reveal how polar processes impact thermal emissions. This study develops new methods to characterize orbit intersections and applies them to simulated PREFIRE orbits to assess the hypothetical resampling distribution. Generalizing our results informs future missions that two CubeSats at different altitudes greatly enhance resampling coverage.
Navin Parihar, Saranya Padincharapad, Anand Kumar Singh, Prasanna Mahavarkar, and Ashok Priyadarshan Dimri
Ann. Geophys., 42, 131–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-131-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-131-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Gravity waves are well known for deforming the bottom-side plasma of the F region into the wavelike ionization structures which then act as a seed for Rayleigh–Taylor instability, which in turn generates irregularities. The present study features midnight fossil airglow depletions that revived due to ongoing gravity wave (GW) activity and turned into an active depletion.
Benjamin Poschlod and Anne Sophie Daloz
The Cryosphere, 18, 1959–1981, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1959-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1959-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Information about snow depth is important within climate research but also many other sectors, such as tourism, mobility, civil engineering, and ecology. Climate models often feature a spatial resolution which is too coarse to investigate snow depth. Here, we analyse high-resolution simulations and identify added value compared to a coarser-resolution state-of-the-art product. Also, daily snow depth extremes are well reproduced by two models.
Jinmei Pan, Michael Durand, Juha Lemmetyinen, Desheng Liu, and Jiancheng Shi
The Cryosphere, 18, 1561–1578, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1561-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1561-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed an algorithm to estimate snow mass using X- and dual Ku-band radar, and tested it in a ground-based experiment. The algorithm, the Bayesian-based Algorithm for SWE Estimation (BASE) using active microwaves, achieved an RMSE of 30 mm for snow water equivalent. These results demonstrate the potential of radar, a highly promising sensor, to map snow mass at high spatial resolution.
Siddharth Singh, Michael Durand, Edward Kim, and Ana P. Barros
The Cryosphere, 18, 747–773, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-747-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-747-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Seasonal snowfall accumulation plays a critical role in climate. The water stored in it is measured by the snow water equivalent (SWE), the amount of water released after completely melting. We demonstrate a Bayesian physical–statistical framework to estimate SWE from airborne X- and Ku-band synthetic aperture radar backscatter measurements constrained by physical snow hydrology and radar models. We explored spatial resolutions and vertical structures that agree well with ground observations.
Justin M. Pflug, Melissa L. Wrzesien, Sujay V. Kumar, Eunsang Cho, Kristi R. Arsenault, Paul R. Houser, and Carrie M. Vuyovich
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 631–648, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-631-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-631-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Estimates of 250 m of snow water equivalent in the western USA and Canada are improved by assimilating observations representative of a snow-focused satellite mission with a land surface model. Here, by including a gap-filling strategy, snow estimates could be improved in forested regions where remote sensing is challenging. This approach improved estimates of winter maximum snow water volume to within 4 %, on average, with persistent improvements to both spring snow and runoff in many regions.
Clemens Schwingshackl, Anne Sophie Daloz, Carley Iles, Kristin Aunan, and Jana Sillmann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 331–354, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-331-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-331-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ambient heat in European cities will substantially increase under global warming, as projected by three heat metrics calculated from high-resolution climate model simulations. While the heat metrics consistently project high levels of ambient heat for several cities, in other cities the projected heat levels vary considerably across the three heat metrics. Using complementary heat metrics for projections of ambient heat is thus important for assessments of future risks from heat stress.
Michael Durand, Joel T. Johnson, Jack Dechow, Leung Tsang, Firoz Borah, and Edward J. Kim
The Cryosphere, 18, 139–152, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-139-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Seasonal snow accumulates each winter, storing water to release later in the year and modulating both water and energy cycles, but the amount of seasonal snow is one of the most poorly measured components of the global water cycle. Satellite concepts to monitor snow accumulation have been proposed but not selected. This paper shows that snow accumulation can be measured using radar, and that (contrary to previous studies) does not require highly accurate information about snow microstructure.
Brian Kahn, Cameron Bertossa, Xiuhong Chen, Brian Drouin, Erin Hokanson, Xianglei Huang, Tristan L'Ecuyer, Kyle Mattingly, Aronne Merrelli, Tim Michaels, Nate Miller, Federico Donat, Tiziano Maestri, and Michele Martinazzo
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2463, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2463, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
A cloud detection mask algorithm is developed for the upcoming Polar Radiant Energy in the Far Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE) satellite mission to be launched by NASA in May 2024. The cloud mask is compared to "truth" and is capable of detecting over 90 % of all clouds globally tested with simulated data, and about 87 % of all clouds in the Arctic region.
Eunsang Cho, Carrie M. Vuyovich, Sujay V. Kumar, Melissa L. Wrzesien, and Rhae Sung Kim
The Cryosphere, 17, 3915–3931, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3915-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3915-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
As a future snow mission concept, active microwave sensors have the potential to measure snow water equivalent (SWE) in deep snowpack and forested environments. We used a modeling and data assimilation approach (a so-called observing system simulation experiment) to quantify the usefulness of active microwave-based SWE retrievals over western Colorado. We found that active microwave sensors with a mature retrieval algorithm can improve SWE simulations by about 20 % in the mountainous domain.
Eunsang Cho, Carrie M. Vuyovich, Sujay V. Kumar, Melissa L. Wrzesien, Rhae Sung Kim, and Jennifer M. Jacobs
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5721–5735, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5721-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5721-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
While land surface models are a common approach for estimating macroscale snow water equivalent (SWE), the SWE accuracy is often limited by uncertainties in model physics and forcing inputs. In this study, we found large underestimations of modeled SWE compared to observations. Precipitation forcings and melting physics limitations dominantly contribute to the SWE underestimations. Results provide insights into prioritizing strategies to improve the SWE simulations for hydrologic applications.
Alyson Rose Douglas and Tristan L'Ecuyer
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-688, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-688, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosol, or small particles released by human activities, enter the atmosphere and eventually interact with clouds in what we term aerosol-cloud interactions. As more aerosol enter a cloud, they act as cloud droplet nuclei, increasing the number of cloud droplets in a cloud and delaying rain formation, leading to a larger cloud. We use machine learning and found that these interactions lead to 1.27 % more cloudiness on Earth and offset ~1/4 of the warming due to CO2.
Leung Tsang, Michael Durand, Chris Derksen, Ana P. Barros, Do-Hyuk Kang, Hans Lievens, Hans-Peter Marshall, Jiyue Zhu, Joel Johnson, Joshua King, Juha Lemmetyinen, Melody Sandells, Nick Rutter, Paul Siqueira, Anne Nolin, Batu Osmanoglu, Carrie Vuyovich, Edward Kim, Drew Taylor, Ioanna Merkouriadi, Ludovic Brucker, Mahdi Navari, Marie Dumont, Richard Kelly, Rhae Sung Kim, Tien-Hao Liao, Firoz Borah, and Xiaolan Xu
The Cryosphere, 16, 3531–3573, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3531-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3531-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Snow water equivalent (SWE) is of fundamental importance to water, energy, and geochemical cycles but is poorly observed globally. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements at X- and Ku-band can address this gap. This review serves to inform the broad snow research, monitoring, and application communities about the progress made in recent decades to move towards a new satellite mission capable of addressing the needs of the geoscience researchers and users.
Assia Arouf, Hélène Chepfer, Thibault Vaillant de Guélis, Marjolaine Chiriaco, Matthew D. Shupe, Rodrigo Guzman, Artem Feofilov, Patrick Raberanto, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, Seiji Kato, and Michael R. Gallagher
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3893–3923, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3893-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3893-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We proposed new estimates of the surface longwave (LW) cloud radiative effect (CRE) derived from observations collected by a space-based lidar on board the CALIPSO satellite and radiative transfer computations. Our estimate appropriately captures the surface LW CRE annual variability over bright polar surfaces, and it provides a dataset more than 13 years long.
Anne Sophie Daloz, Clemens Schwingshackl, Priscilla Mooney, Susanna Strada, Diana Rechid, Edouard L. Davin, Eleni Katragkou, Nathalie de Noblet-Ducoudré, Michal Belda, Tomas Halenka, Marcus Breil, Rita M. Cardoso, Peter Hoffmann, Daniela C. A. Lima, Ronny Meier, Pedro M. M. Soares, Giannis Sofiadis, Gustav Strandberg, Merja H. Toelle, and Marianne T. Lund
The Cryosphere, 16, 2403–2419, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2403-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2403-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Snow plays a major role in the regulation of the Earth's surface temperature. Together with climate change, rising temperatures are already altering snow in many ways. In this context, it is crucial to better understand the ability of climate models to represent snow and snow processes. This work focuses on Europe and shows that the melting season in spring still represents a challenge for climate models and that more work is needed to accurately simulate snow–atmosphere interactions.
Priscilla A. Mooney, Diana Rechid, Edouard L. Davin, Eleni Katragkou, Natalie de Noblet-Ducoudré, Marcus Breil, Rita M. Cardoso, Anne Sophie Daloz, Peter Hoffmann, Daniela C. A. Lima, Ronny Meier, Pedro M. M. Soares, Giannis Sofiadis, Susanna Strada, Gustav Strandberg, Merja H. Toelle, and Marianne T. Lund
The Cryosphere, 16, 1383–1397, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1383-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1383-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We use multiple regional climate models to show that afforestation in sub-polar and alpine regions reduces the radiative impact of snow albedo on the atmosphere, reduces snow cover, and delays the start of the snowmelt season. This is important for local communities that are highly reliant on snowpack for water resources and winter tourism. However, models disagree on the amount of change particularly when snow is melting. This shows that more research is needed on snow–vegetation interactions.
Michael R. Gallagher, Matthew D. Shupe, Hélène Chepfer, and Tristan L'Ecuyer
The Cryosphere, 16, 435–450, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-435-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-435-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
By using direct observations of snowfall and mass changes, the variability of daily snowfall mass input to the Greenland ice sheet is quantified for the first time. With new methods we conclude that cyclones west of Greenland in summer contribute the most snowfall, with 1.66 Gt per occurrence. These cyclones are contextualized in the broader Greenland climate, and snowfall is validated against mass changes to verify the results. Snowfall and mass change observations are shown to agree well.
Maria Sand, Bjørn H. Samset, Gunnar Myhre, Jonas Gliß, Susanne E. Bauer, Huisheng Bian, Mian Chin, Ramiro Checa-Garcia, Paul Ginoux, Zak Kipling, Alf Kirkevåg, Harri Kokkola, Philippe Le Sager, Marianne T. Lund, Hitoshi Matsui, Twan van Noije, Dirk J. L. Olivié, Samuel Remy, Michael Schulz, Philip Stier, Camilla W. Stjern, Toshihiko Takemura, Kostas Tsigaridis, Svetlana G. Tsyro, and Duncan Watson-Parris
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15929–15947, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15929-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15929-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Absorption of shortwave radiation by aerosols can modify precipitation and clouds but is poorly constrained in models. A total of 15 different aerosol models from AeroCom phase III have reported total aerosol absorption, and for the first time, 11 of these models have reported in a consistent experiment the contributions to absorption from black carbon, dust, and organic aerosol. Here, we document the model diversity in aerosol absorption.
Alyson Douglas and Tristan L'Ecuyer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15103–15114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15103-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15103-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
When aerosols enter the atmosphere, they interact with the clouds above in what we term aerosol–cloud interactions and lead to a series of reactions which delay the onset of rain. This delay may lead to increased rain rates, or invigoration, when the cloud eventually rains. We show that aerosol leads to invigoration in certain environments. The strength of the invigoration depends on how large the cloud is, which suggests that it is highly tied to the organization of the cloud system.
Erik Johansson, Abhay Devasthale, Michael Tjernström, Annica M. L. Ekman, Klaus Wyser, and Tristan L'Ecuyer
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 4087–4101, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4087-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the coupling of clouds to large-scale circulation is a grand challenge for the climate community. Cloud radiative heating (CRH) is a key parameter in this coupling and is therefore essential to model realistically. We, therefore, evaluate a climate model against satellite observations. Our findings indicate good agreement in the seasonal pattern of CRH even if the magnitude differs. We also find that increasing the horizontal resolution in the model has little effect on the CRH.
Andrew M. Dzambo, Tristan L'Ecuyer, Kenneth Sinclair, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Siddhant Gupta, Greg McFarquhar, Joseph R. O'Brien, Brian Cairns, Andrzej P. Wasilewski, and Mikhail Alexandrov
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 5513–5532, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5513-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5513-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This work highlights a new algorithm using data collected from the 2016–2018 NASA ORACLES field campaign. This algorithm synthesizes cloud and rain measurements to attain estimates of cloud and precipitation properties over the southeast Atlantic Ocean. Estimates produced by this algorithm compare well against in situ estimates. Increased rain fractions and rain rates are found in regions of atmospheric instability. This dataset can be used to explore aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions.
Rhae Sung Kim, Sujay Kumar, Carrie Vuyovich, Paul Houser, Jessica Lundquist, Lawrence Mudryk, Michael Durand, Ana Barros, Edward J. Kim, Barton A. Forman, Ethan D. Gutmann, Melissa L. Wrzesien, Camille Garnaud, Melody Sandells, Hans-Peter Marshall, Nicoleta Cristea, Justin M. Pflug, Jeremy Johnston, Yueqian Cao, David Mocko, and Shugong Wang
The Cryosphere, 15, 771–791, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-771-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-771-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
High SWE uncertainty is observed in mountainous and forested regions, highlighting the need for high-resolution snow observations in these regions. Substantial uncertainty in snow water storage in Tundra regions and the dominance of water storage in these regions points to the need for high-accuracy snow estimation. Finally, snow measurements during the melt season are most needed at high latitudes, whereas observations at near peak snow accumulations are most beneficial over the midlatitudes.
Jens Redemann, Robert Wood, Paquita Zuidema, Sarah J. Doherty, Bernadette Luna, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Michael S. Diamond, Yohei Shinozuka, Ian Y. Chang, Rei Ueyama, Leonhard Pfister, Ju-Mee Ryoo, Amie N. Dobracki, Arlindo M. da Silva, Karla M. Longo, Meloë S. Kacenelenbogen, Connor J. Flynn, Kristina Pistone, Nichola M. Knox, Stuart J. Piketh, James M. Haywood, Paola Formenti, Marc Mallet, Philip Stier, Andrew S. Ackerman, Susanne E. Bauer, Ann M. Fridlind, Gregory R. Carmichael, Pablo E. Saide, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Brian Cairns, Brent N. Holben, Kirk D. Knobelspiesse, Simone Tanelli, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, Andrew M. Dzambo, Ousmane O. Sy, Greg M. McFarquhar, Michael R. Poellot, Siddhant Gupta, Joseph R. O'Brien, Athanasios Nenes, Mary Kacarab, Jenny P. S. Wong, Jennifer D. Small-Griswold, Kenneth L. Thornhill, David Noone, James R. Podolske, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Peter Pilewskie, Hong Chen, Sabrina P. Cochrane, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Timothy J. Lang, Eric Stith, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Richard A. Ferrare, Sharon P. Burton, Chris A. Hostetler, David J. Diner, Felix C. Seidel, Steven E. Platnick, Jeffrey S. Myers, Kerry G. Meyer, Douglas A. Spangenberg, Hal Maring, and Lan Gao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1507–1563, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Southern Africa produces significant biomass burning emissions whose impacts on regional and global climate are poorly understood. ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) is a 5-year NASA investigation designed to study the key processes that determine these climate impacts. The main purpose of this paper is to familiarize the broader scientific community with the ORACLES project, the dataset it produced, and the most important initial findings.
Norman B. Wood and Tristan S. L'Ecuyer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 869–888, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-869-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-869-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Although millimeter-wavelength radar reflectivity observations are used to investigate snowfall properties, their ability to constrain specific properties has not been well-quantified. An information-focused retrieval
method shows how well snowfall properties, including rate and size distribution, are constrained by reflectivity. Sources of uncertainty in snowfall rate are dominated by uncertainties in the retrieved size distribution properties rather than by other retrieval assumptions.
Elin A. McIlhattan, Claire Pettersen, Norman B. Wood, and Tristan S. L'Ecuyer
The Cryosphere, 14, 4379–4404, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4379-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4379-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Snowfall builds the mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and reduces melt by brightening the surface. We present satellite observations of GrIS snowfall events divided into two regimes: those coincident with ice clouds and those coincident with mixed-phase clouds. Snowfall from ice clouds plays the dominant role in building the GrIS, producing ~ 80 % of total accumulation. The two regimes have similar snowfall frequency in summer, brightening the surface when solar insolation is at its peak.
Camilla W. Stjern, Bjørn H. Samset, Olivier Boucher, Trond Iversen, Jean-François Lamarque, Gunnar Myhre, Drew Shindell, and Toshihiko Takemura
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 13467–13480, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13467-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13467-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The span between the warmest and coldest temperatures over a day is a climate parameter that influences both agriculture and human health. Using data from 10 models, we show how individual climate drivers such as greenhouse gases and aerosols produce distinctly different responses in this parameter in high-emission regions. Given the high uncertainty in future aerosol emissions, this improved understanding of the temperature responses may ultimately help these regions prepare for future changes.
Marianne T. Lund, Borgar Aamaas, Camilla W. Stjern, Zbigniew Klimont, Terje K. Berntsen, and Bjørn H. Samset
Earth Syst. Dynam., 11, 977–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-977-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-977-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Achieving the Paris Agreement temperature goals requires both near-zero levels of long-lived greenhouse gases and deep cuts in emissions of short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs). Here we quantify the near- and long-term global temperature impacts of emissions of individual SLCFs and CO2 from 7 economic sectors in 13 regions in order to provide the detailed knowledge needed to design efficient mitigation strategies at the sectoral and regional levels.
Kai-Wei Chang and Tristan L'Ecuyer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 12499–12514, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12499-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12499-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
High-altitude clouds in the tropics that reside in the transition layer between the troposphere and stratosphere are important as they influence the amount of water vapor going into the stratosphere. Waves in the atmosphere can influence the temperature and form these high-altitude cirrus clouds. We use satellite observations to explore the connection between atmospheric waves and clouds and show that cirrus clouds occurrence and properties are closely correlated with waves.
Cited articles
Barnett, T. P., Adam, J. C., and Lettenmaier, D. P.: Potential impacts of a
warming climate on water availability in snow-dominated regions, Nature,
438, 303–309, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04141, 2005
Behrangi, A., Christensen, M., Richardson, M., Lebsock, M., Stephens, G.,
Huffman, G. J., Bolvin, D., Adler, R. F., Gardner, A., Lambrigtsen, B., and
Fetzer, E.: Status of high-latitude precipitation estimates from
observations and reanalyses, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 4468–4486, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024546, 2016.
Bosilovich, M. G., Chern, J., Mocko, D., Robertson, F. R., and, da Silva,
A. M.: Evaluating Observation Influence on Regional Water Budgets in
Reanalyses, J. Climate, 28, 3631–3649,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00623.1, 2015.
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. Clim., 24, 4189–4209,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2011JCLI4074.1, 2011.
Cao, Q, Hong, Y., Chen, S., Gourley, J. J., Zhang, J., and Kirstetter, P. E.:
Snowfall Detectability of NASA'S CloudSat: The first cross-investigation of
its 2C-Snow-Profile Product and National Multi-sensor Mosaic QPE (NMQ)
Snowfall Data, Prog. Electromag. Res., 148, 55–61, 2014.
Chen, T., Guo, J., Li, Z., Zhao, C., Liu, H., Cribb, M., Wang, F., and He,
J.: A CloudSat Perspective on the Cloud Climatology and Its Association with
Aerosol Perturbations in the Vertical over Eastern China. J. Atmos. Sci.,
73, 3599–3616, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-15-0309.1, 2016.
Cohen, L. and Dean, S.: Snow on the Ross Ice Shelf: comparison of reanalyses and observations from automatic weather stations, The Cryosphere, 7, 1399–1410, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1399-2013, 2013.
Daloz, A. S., Nelson, E., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Rapp, A. D., and Sun, L.: Assessing
the Coupled Influences of Clouds on the Atmospheric Energy and Water Cycles
in Reanalyses with A-Train Observations, J. Climate, 31, 8241–8264,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0862.1, 2018.
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P.,
Kobayashi, S., Andrae, U., Balmaseda, M. A., Balsamo, G., Bauer, P.,
Bechtold, P., Beljaars, A. C. M., van de Berg, I., Biblot, J., Bormann, N.,
Delsol, C., Dragani, R., Fuentes, M., Greer, A. J., Haimberger, L., Healy, S.
B., Hersbach, H., Holm, E. V., Isaksen, L., Kallberg, P., Kohler, M.,
Matricardi, M., McNally, A. P., Mong-Sanz, B. M., Morcette, J.-J., Park,
B.-K., Peubey, C., de Rosnay, P., Tavolato, C., Thepaut, J. N., and Vitart,
F.: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: Configuration and performance of the data
assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 137, 553–597, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011.
European Centre for
Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF): ERA-Interim data, ECMWF WebAPI, available at: https://apps.ecmwf.int/datasets/data/interim-full-daily/levtype=sfc/, last access: October 2016.
Gelaro, R., McCarty, W., Suárez, M. J., Todling, R., Molod, A., Takacs, L., Randles, C. A., Darmenov, A., Bosilovich, M. G., Reichle, R., Wargan, K., Coy, L., Cullather, R., Draper, C., Akella, S., Buchard, V., Conaty, A., da Silva, A. M., Gu, W., Kim, G.-K., Koster, R., Lucchesi, R., Merkova, D., Nielsen, J. E., Partyka, G., Pawson, S., Putman, W., Rienecker, M., Schubert, S. D., Sienkiewicz, M., and Zhao, B.: The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for
Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), J. Climate, 30, 5419–5454,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0758.1, 2017.
Goodison, B., Louie, P. Y. T., and Yang, D.: WMO solid precipitation measurement
intercomparison: Final report, WMO/TD No. 872, WMO, Geneva, 88 pp. 1998.
Grazioli, J., Madeleine, J.-B., Gallée, H., Forbes, R. M., Genthon,
C., Krinner, G., and Berne, A.: Katabatic winds diminish Antarctic
precipitation, P. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA, 114, 10858–10863, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1707633114, 2017.
Groisman, P. Y. and Legates, D. R.: The accuracy of United States
precipitation data, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 75, 215–227, 1994.
Haynes, J. M., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Stephens, G. L., Miller, S. D., Mitrescu, C.,
Wood, N. B., and Tanelli, S.: Rainfall retrieval over the ocean with
spaceborne W-band radar, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D00A22,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD009973, 2009.
Haynes, J. M., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Vane, D., Stephens, G., and Rienke, D.: Level
2-C Precipitation Column algorithm product process description and interface
control document, version P2_R04, CloudSat Project technical
document, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 17 pp., available
at:
http://www.cloudsat.cira.colostate.edu/sites/default/files/products/files/2C-PRECIP-COLUMN_PDICD.P2_R04.20130124.pdf (last access: 20 June 2019), 2013.
Henn, B., Newman, A. J., Ben Livneh, Daly, C., and Lundquist, J. D.: An
assessment of differences in gridded precipitation datasets in complex
terrain, J. Hydrol., 556, 1205–1219,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.03.008, 2018.
Hiley, M. J., Kulie, M. S., and Bennartz, R.: Uncertainty Analysis for CloudSat
Snowfall Retrievals, J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 50, 399–418,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JAMC2505.1, 2011.
Japan Meteorological Agency: JRA-55: Japanese 55-year Reanalysis, Daily 3-Hourly and 6-Hourly Data. Research Data Archive at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, https://doi.org/10.5065/D6HH6H41, 2013.
Kapos, V., Rhind, J., Edwards, M., Price, M. F., and Ravilious, C.:
Developing a map of the world's mountain forests, in: Forests in Sustainable
Mountain Development: A State-of-Knowledge Report for 2000, edited by: Price, M. F. and Butt, N., CAB International, Wallingford, 4–9, 2000.
Kidd, C., Becker, A., Huffman, G. F., Muller, C. L., Joe, P.,
Skofronick-Jackson, G., and Kirschbaum, D. B.: So, How Much of the Earth's
Surface Is Covered by Rain Gauges?, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 98, 69–78,
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00283.1, 2017.
Kobayashi, S., Ota, Y., Harada, Y., Ebita, A., Moriya, M., Onoda, H., Onogi, K., Kamahori, H., Kobayashi, C., Endo, H., Miyaoka, K., and Takahasi, K.: The JRA-55 Reanalysis: General Specifications
and Basic Characteristics, J. Meteor. Soc. Jpn., 93, 5–48, https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2015-001, 2015.
Kochendorfer, J., Nitu, R., Wolff, M., Mekis, E., Rasmussen, R., Baker, B., Earle, M. E., Reverdin, A., Wong, K., Smith, C. D., Yang, D., Roulet, Y.-A., Meyers, T., Buisan, S., Isaksen, K., Brækkan, R., Landolt, S., and Jachcik, A.: Testing and development of transfer functions for weighing precipitation gauges in WMO-SPICE, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1437–1452, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1437-2018, 2018.
Kulie, M. S. and Bennartz, R.: Utilizing spaceborne radars to retrieve dry
snowfall, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 48, 2564–2580, 2009.
Kulie, M. S., Milani, L., Wood, N. B., Tushaus, S. A., Bennartz, R., and
L'Ecuyer, T. S.: A Shallow Cumuliform Snowfall Census Using Spaceborne Radar,
J. Hydrometeor., 17, 1261–1279, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-15-0123.1,
2016.
Kulie, M. S. and, Milani, L.: Seasonal variability of shallow cumuliform
snowfall: A CloudSat perspective, Q. J. R. Meteor. Soc., 144, 329–343, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3222, 2018.
Lavers, D. A. and Villarini, G.: The contribution of atmospheric rivers to
precipitation in Europe and the United States, J. Hydrol., 522, 382–390, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.12.010, 2015.
Lemonnier, F., Madeleine, J.-B., Claud, C., Palerme, C., Genthon, C.,
L'Ecuyer, T., Wood, N.: CloudSat-inferred vertical structure of snowfall
over the Antarctic continent, J. Geopys. Res.-Atmos., 125, e2019JD031399, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD031399,
2019a.
Lemonnier, F., Madeleine, J.-B., Claud, C., Genthon, C., Durán-Alarcón, C., Palerme, C., Berne, A., Souverijns, N., van Lipzig, N., Gorodetskaya, I. V., L'Ecuyer, T., and Wood, N.: Evaluation of CloudSat snowfall rate profiles by a comparison with in situ micro-rain radar observations in East Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 13, 943–954, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-943-2019, 2019b.
L'Ecuyer, T. S., Beaudoing, H. K., Rodell, M., Olson, W., Lin, B., Kato, S.,
Clayson, C. A., Wood, E., Sheffield, J., Adler, R., Huffman, G., Bosilovich,
M., Gu, G., Robertson, F., Houser, P. R., Chambers, D., Famiglietti, J. S.,
Fetzer, E., Liu, W. T., Gao, X. , Schlosser, C. A., Clark, E., Lettenmaier,
D. P., and Hilburn, K.: The Observed State of the Energy Budget in the Early
Twenty-First Century, J. Climate, 28, 8319–8346,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00556.1, 2015.
Liu, G.: Deriving snow cloud characteristics from CloudSat observations. J.
Geophys. Res., 113, D00A09, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD009766, 2008.
Liu Y. and Magulis, S. A.: Deriving bias and uncertainty in MERRA-2 snowfall
precipitation over High Mountain Asia, Front. Earth. Sci., 7, 280,
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00280, 2019.
Maahn, M., Burgard, C., Crewell, S., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Kneifel, S.,
Lhermitte, S., Van Tricht, K., and van Lipzig, N. P. M.: How well does the
spaceborne radar blind zone affect derived surface snowfall statistics in
polar regions?, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 132604–132620, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022079, 2014.
Mankin, J. S., Viviroli, D., Singh, D., Hoekstra, A. Y., and Diffenbaugh,
N. S.: The potential for snow to supply human water demand in the present and
future, Environ. Res. Lett., 10, 114016,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/11/114016, 2015.
Milani, L., Kulie, M. S., Casella, D., Dietrich, S., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Giulia,
P., Porcu, F., Sano, P., and Wood, N. B.: CloudSat snowfall estimates over
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean: An assessment of independent retrieval
methodologies and multi-year snowfall analysis, Atmos. Res., 213, 121–135,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2018.05.015, 2018.
Neiman, P. J., Ralph, F. M., Wick, G. A., Lundquist, J. D., and Dettinger, M. D.:
Meteorological characteristics and overland precipitation impacts of
atmospheric rivers affecting the west coast of North America based on eight
years of SSM/I satellite observations, J. Hydrometeor., 9, 22–47, 2008.
Norin, L., Devasthale, A., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Wood, N. B., and Smalley, M.: Intercomparison of snowfall estimates derived from the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar and the ground-based weather radar network over Sweden, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 5009–5021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-5009-2015, 2015.
Orsolini, Y., Wegmann, M., Dutra, E., Liu, B., Balsamo, G., Yang, K., de Rosnay, P., Zhu, C., Wang, W., Senan, R., and Arduini, G.: Evaluation of snow depth and snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau in global reanalyses using in situ and satellite remote sensing observations, The Cryosphere, 13, 2221–2239, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2221-2019, 2019.
Palerme, C., Claud, C., Dufour, A., Genthon, C., Wood, N. B., and L'Ecuyer,
T. S.: Evaluation of Antarctic snowfall in global meteorological reanalyses,
Atmos. Res., 190, 104–112, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2017.02.015, 2017.
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.
Ralph, F. M., Neiman, P. J., Wick, G. A., Gutman, S. I., Dettinger, M. D.,
Cayan, D. R., and White, A. B.: Flooding on California's Russian River: Role
of atmospheric river. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L13801,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL026689, 2006.
Reichle, R. H., Liu, Q., Koster, R. D., Draper, C. S., Mahanama, S. P., and
Partyka, G. S.: Land Surface Precipitation in MERRA-2, J. Climate, 30,
1643–1664, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0570.1, 2017.
Rienecker, M. M., Suarez, M. J., Gelaro, R., Todling, R., Bacmeister, J., Liu, E., Bosilovich, M. G., Schubert, S. D., Takacs, L., Kim, G.-K., Bloom, S., Chen, J., Collins, D., Conaty, A., da Silva, A., Gu, W., Joiner, J., Koster, R. D., Lucchesi, R., Molod, A., Owens, T., Pawson, S., Pegion, P., Redder, C. R., Reichle, R., Robertson, F. R., Ruddick, A. G., Sienkiewicz, M., and Woollen, J.: MERRA: NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective
Analysis for Research and Applications, J. Climate, 24, 3624–3648, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00015.1, 2011.
Rodell, M., Famiglietti, J. S., Wiese, D. N., Reager, J. T., Beaudoing, H. K.,
Landerer, F. W., and Lo, M.-H. : Emerging trends in global freshwater
availability, Nature, 557, 651–659, 2018.
Rodgers, C. D.: Inverse Methods for Atmospheric Sounding: Theory and
Practice. Series on Atmospheric and Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Vol. 2,
World Scientific, 256 pp., 2000.
Rutz, J. J. and Steenburgh, W. J.: Quantifying the role of atmospheric
rivers in the interior western United States, Atmosphys. Sci. Lett., 13,
257–261, https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.392, 2012.
Sebastian, D., Pathak, A., and Ghosh, S.: Use of Atmospheric Budget to Reduce
Uncertainty in Estimated Water Availability over South Asia from Different
Reanalyses, Sci. Rep., 6, 29664, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29664, 2016.
Smalley, M., L'Ecuyer, T., Lebsock, M., and Haynes, J.: A comparison of
precipitation occurrence from the NCEP Stage IV QPE product and the CloudSat
cloud profiling radar, J. Hydrometeorol., 15, 444–458,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-13-048.1, 2014.
Smalley, M. and L'Ecuyer, T. S.: A global assessment of the spatial scale of
precipitation occurrence, J. Appl. Meteorol. Climatol., 54, 2179–2197,
2015.
Souverijns, N., Gossart, A., Lhermitte, S., Gorodetskaya, I. V., Grazioli, J., Berne, A., Duran-Alarcon, C., Boudevillain, B., Genthon, C., Scarchilli, C., and van Lipzig, N. P. M.: Evaluation of the CloudSat surface snowfall product over Antarctica using ground-based precipitation radars, The Cryosphere, 12, 3775–3789, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3775-2018, 2018.
Stephens, G. L., Vane, D. G., Boain, R. J., Mace, G. G., Sassen, K., Wang, Z., Illingworth, A. J., O'connor, E. J., Rossow, W. B., Durden, S. L., Miller, S. D., Austin, R. T., Benedetti, A., Mitrescu, C., the CloudSat Science Team: The CloudSat mission and the A-Train, B.
Am. Meteorol. Soc., 83, 1771–1790, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-83-12-1771, 2002.
Stephens, G. L., Vane, D. G., Tanelli, S., Im, E., Durden, S., Rokey, M.,
Reinke, D., Partain, P., Mace, G. G., Austin, R., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Haynes, J.,
Lebsock, M., Suzuki, K., Waliser, D., Wu, D., Kay, J., Gettelman, A., Wang,
Z., and Marchand, R.: CloudSat mission: Performance and early science after
the first year of operation, J. Geophys. Res., 113, D00A18,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD009982, 2008.
Stephens, G. L., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Forbes, R., Gettlemen, A., Golaz, J.-C,
Bodas-Salcedo, A., Suzuki, K., Gabriel, P., and Haynes, J.: Dreary state of
precipitation in global models, J. Gephys. Res., 115, D24211, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD014532,
2010.
Tanelli, S., Durden, S. L., Im, E., Pak, K. S., Reinke, D. G., Partain, P.,
Haynes, J. M., and Marchand, R. T.: CloudSat's Cloud Profiling Radar after
two years in orbit: Performance, calibration, and processing, IEEE T.
Geosci. Remote Sens., 46, 3560–3573, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2008.2002030, 2008.
Thorne, P. W. and Vose, R. S.: Reanalyses Suitable for Characterizing
Long-Term Trends, B. Am. Meteorol.
Soc., 91, 353–362, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009BAMS2858.1, 2010.
Viale, M. and Nuñez, M. N.: Climatology of Winter Orographic
Precipitation over the Subtropical Central Andes and Associated Synoptic and
Regional Characteristics, J. Hydrometeor., 12, 481–507,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JHM1284.1, 2011.
Wang, C., Graham, R. M., Wang, K., Gerland, S., and Granskog, M. A.: Comparison of ERA5 and ERA-Interim near-surface air temperature, snowfall and precipitation over Arctic sea ice: effects on sea ice thermodynamics and evolution, The Cryosphere, 13, 1661–1679, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1661-2019, 2019.
Wood, N., L'Ecuyer, T. S., Vane, D., Stephens, G., and Partain, P.: Level 2C
Snow Profile Process Description and Interface Control Document, Algorithm
Version P_R04, NASA JPL CloudSat project technical document
revision 0, 21 pp., available at:
http://www.cloudsat.cira.colostate.edu/sites/default/?les/products/?les/2C-SNOW-PROFILE_PDICD.P_R04.20130210.pdf (last access: 3 August 2015), 2013.
Wood, N. B. and L'Ecuyer, T. S.: Level 2C Snow Profile Process Description
and Interface Control Document, Product Version P1_R05, NASA
JPL CloudSat project document revision 0, 26 pp., available at:
http://www.cloudsat.cira.colostate.edu/sites/default/files/products/files/2C-SNOW-PROFILE_PDICD.P1_R05.rev0_.pdf (last access 20 June 2019), 2018.
Wrzesien, M. L., Durand, M. T., and Pavelsky, T. M.: A reassessment of North
American River basin cool-season precipitation: Developments from a new
mountain climatology data set, Water Resour. Res., 55, 3502–3519,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR024106, 2019.
Short summary
The total of snow that falls globally is a critical factor governing freshwater availability. To better understand how this resource is impacted by climate change, we need to know how reliable the current observational datasets for snow are. Here, we compare five datasets looking at the snow falling over the mountains versus the other continents. We show that there is a large consensus when looking at fractional contributions but strong dissimilarities when comparing magnitudes.
The total of snow that falls globally is a critical factor governing freshwater availability. To...
