Articles | Volume 18, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-289-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-289-2024
Research article
 | 
15 Jan 2024
Research article |  | 15 Jan 2024

On the importance of the humidity flux for the surface mass balance in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Laura J. Dietrich, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Sonja Wahl, Anne-Katrine Faber, and Xavier Fettweis

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Cited articles

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Boisvert, L. N., Lee, J. N., Lenaerts, J. T., Noël, B., van den Broeke, M. R., and Nolin, A. W.: Using remotely sensed data from AIRS to estimate the vapor flux on the Greenland ice sheet: Comparisons with observations and a regional climate model, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 202–229, 2017. a
Box, J. E. and Steffen, K.: Sublimation on the Greenland ice sheet from automated weather station observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 106, 33965–33981, 2001. a
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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.
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