Articles | Volume 16, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1071-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1071-2022
Research article
 | 
29 Mar 2022
Research article |  | 29 Mar 2022

Sensitivity of Antarctic surface climate to a new spectral snow albedo and radiative transfer scheme in RACMO2.3p3

Christiaan T. van Dalum, Willem Jan van de Berg, and Michiel R. van den Broeke

Data sets

RACMO2.3p3 monthly SMB, SEB and t2m data for Antarctica (1979-2018) C. van Dalum, W. J. van de Berg, and M. van den Broeke https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5512077

The AntSMB dataset: a comprehensive compilation of surface mass balance field observations over the Antarctic Ice Sheet Y. Wang, M. Ding, C. H. Reijmer, P. C. J. P. Smeets, S. Hou, and C. Xiao https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3057-2021

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Short summary
In this study, we improve the regional climate model RACMO2 and investigate the climate of Antarctica. We have implemented a new radiative transfer and snow albedo scheme and do several sensitivity experiments. When fully tuned, the results compare well with observations and snow temperature profiles improve. Moreover, small changes in the albedo and the investigated processes can lead to a strong overestimation of melt, locally leading to runoff and a reduced surface mass balance.