Articles | Volume 20, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4421-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-20-4421-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
14 Aug 2026
Research article |
| 14 Aug 2026
| 14 Aug 2026
Anatomy and impact of a high Arctic atmospheric river driving extreme winter rain and snowfall
Water, Energy, and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Jason E. Box
Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
Ben G. Kopec
Great Lakes Research Center, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
Valtteri Hyöky
Water, Energy, and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Hannu Marttila
Water, Energy, and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Jeffrey M. Welker
Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
Jack Kohler
Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Dmitry V. Divine
Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Alun Hubbard
Water, Energy, and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Department of Geosciences, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
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Eeva Järvi-Laturi, Teemu Tahvanainen, Eero Koskinen, Efrén López-Blanco, Juho Lämsä, Hannu Marttila, Mikhail Mastepanov, Riku Paavola, Maria Väisänen, and Torben R. Christensen
Biogeosciences, 22, 6343–6367, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6343-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-6343-2025, 2025
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Our research investigates how plant community composition influences methane emissions in a northern boreal rich fen. We measured methane fluxes year-round using manual chambers across 36 plots. Our findings suggest that sedges, particularly Carex rostrata, significantly impact the fluxes throughout the year. This study enhances our understanding of vegetation-driven methane emissions, providing valuable insights for predicting future changes in peatland methane emissions.
Anna-Maria Virkkala, Isabel Wargowsky, Judith Vogt, McKenzie A. Kuhn, Simran Madaan, Richard O'Keefe, Tiffany Windholz, Kyle A. Arndt, Brendan M. Rogers, Jennifer D. Watts, Kelcy Kent, Mathias Göckede, David Olefeldt, Gerard Rocher-Ros, Edward A. G. Schuur, David Bastviken, Kristoffer Aalstad, Kelly Aho, Joonatan Ala-Könni, Haley Alcock, Inge Althuizen, Christopher D. Arp, Jun Asanuma, Katrin Attermeyer, Mika Aurela, Sivakiruthika Balathandayuthabani, Alan Barr, Maialen Barret, Ochirbat Batkhishig, Christina Biasi, Mats P. Björkman, Andrew Black, Elena Blanc-Betes, Pascal Bodmer, Julia Boike, Abdullah Bolek, Frédéric Bouchard, Ingeborg Bussmann, Lea Cabrol, Eleonora Canfora, Sean Carey, Karel Castro-Morales, Namyi Chae, Andres Christen, Torben R. Christensen, Casper T. Christiansen, Housen Chu, Graham Clark, Francois Clayer, Patrick Crill, Christopher Cunada, Scott J. Davidson, Joshua F. Dean, Sigrid Dengel, Matteo Detto, Catherine Dieleman, Florent Domine, Egor Dyukarev, Colin Edgar, Bo Elberling, Craig A. Emmerton, Eugenie Euskirchen, Grant Falvo, Thomas Friborg, Michelle Garneau, Mariasilvia Giamberini, Mikhail V. Glagolev, Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler, Gustaf Granath, Jón Guðmundsson, Konsta Happonen, Yoshinobu Harazono, Lorna Harris, Josh Hashemi, Nicholas Hasson, Janna Heerah, Liam Heffernan, Manuel Helbig, Warren Helgason, Michal Heliasz, Greg Henry, Geert Hensgens, Tetsuya Hiyama, Macall Hock, David Holl, Beth Holmes, Jutta Holst, Thomas Holst, Gabriel Hould-Gosselin, Elyn Humphreys, Jacqueline Hung, Jussi Huotari, Hiroki Ikawa, Danil V. Ilyasov, Mamoru Ishikawa, Go Iwahana, Hiroki Iwata, Marcin Antoni Jackowicz-Korczynski, Joachim Jansen, Järvi Järveoja, Vincent E. J. Jassey, Rasmus Jensen, Katharina Jentzsch, Robert G. Jespersen, Carl-Fredrik Johannesson, Chersity P. Jones, Anders Jonsson, Ji Young Jung, Sari Juutinen, Evan Kane, Jan Karlsson, Sergey Karsanaev, Kuno Kasak, Julia Kelly, Kasha Kempton, Marcus Klaus, George W. Kling, Natacha Kljun, Jacqueline Knutson, Hideki Kobayashi, John Kochendorfer, Kukka-Maaria Kohonen, Pasi Kolari, Mika Korkiakoski, Aino Korrensalo, Pirkko Kortelainen, Egle Koster, Kajar Koster, Ayumi Kotani, Praveena Krishnan, Juliya Kurbatova, Lars Kutzbach, Min Jung Kwon, Ethan D. Kyzivat, Jessica Lagroix, Theodore Langhorst, Elena Lapshina, Tuula Larmola, Klaus S. Larsen, Isabelle Laurion, Justin Ledman, Hanna Lee, A. Joshua Leffler, Lance Lesack, Anders Lindroth, David Lipson, Annalea Lohila, Efrén López-Blanco, Vincent L. St. Louis, Erik Lundin, Misha Luoto, Takashi Machimura, Marta Magnani, Avni Malhotra, Marja Maljanen, Ivan Mammarella, Elisa Männistö, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Phil Marsh, Pertti J. Martkainen, Maija E. Marushchak, Mikhail Mastepanov, Alex Mavrovic, Trofim Maximov, Christina Minions, Marco Montemayor, Tomoaki Morishita, Patrick Murphy, Daniel F. Nadeau, Erin Nicholls, Mats B. Nilsson, Anastasia Niyazova, Jenni Nordén, Koffi Dodji Noumonvi, Hannu Nykanen, Walter Oechel, Anne Ojala, Tomohiro Okadera, Sujan Pal, Alexey V. Panov, Tim Papakyriakou, Dario Papale, Sang-Jong Park, Frans-Jan W. Parmentier, Gilberto Pastorello, Mike Peacock, Matthias Peichl, Roman Petrov, Kyra St. Pierre, Norbert Pirk, Jessica Plein, Vilmantas Preskienis, Anatoly Prokushkin, Jukka Pumpanen, Hilary A. Rains, Niklas Rakos, Aleski Räsänen, Helena Rautakoski, Riika Rinnan, Janne Rinne, Adrian Rocha, Nigel Roulet, Alexandre Roy, Anna Rutgersson, Aleksandr F. Sabrekov, Torsten Sachs, Erik Sahlée, Alejandro Salazar, Henrique Oliveira Sawakuchi, Christopher Schulze, Roger Seco, Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui, Svetlana Serikova, Abbey Serrone, Hanna M. Silvennoinen, Sofie Sjogersten, June Skeeter, Jo Snöälv, Sebastian Sobek, Oliver Sonnentag, Emily H. Stanley, Maria Strack, Lena Strom, Patrick Sullivan, Ryan Sullivan, Anna Sytiuk, Torbern Tagesson, Pierre Taillardat, Julie Talbot, Suzanne E. Tank, Mario Tenuta, Irina Terenteva, Frederic Thalasso, Antoine Thiboult, Halldor Thorgeirsson, Fenix Garcia Tigreros, Margaret Torn, Amy Townsend-Small, Claire Treat, Alain Tremblay, Carlo Trotta, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Merritt Turetsky, Masahito Ueyama, Muhammad Umair, Aki Vähä, Lona van Delden, Maarten van Hardenbroek, Andrej Varlagin, Ruth K. Varner, Elena Veretennikova, Timo Vesala, Tarmo Virtanen, Carolina Voigt, Jorien E. Vonk, Robert Wagner, Katey Walter Anthony, Qinxue Wang, Masataka Watanabe, Hailey Webb, Jeffrey M. Welker, Andreas Westergaard-Nielsen, Sebastian Westermann, Jeffrey R. White, Christian Wille, Scott N. Williamson, Scott Zolkos, Donatella Zona, and Susan M. Natali
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-585, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
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Maiju Ylönen, Hannu Marttila, Joschka Geissler, Anton Kuzmin, Pasi Korpelainen, Timo Kumpula, and Pertti Ala-Aho
The Cryosphere, 19, 4585–4610, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4585-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4585-2025, 2025
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Shaakir Shabir Dar, Eric Klein, Pertti Ala-aho, Hannu Marttila, Sonja Wahl, and Jeffrey Welker
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Preprint archived
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Teemu Juselius-Rajamäki, Sanna Piilo, Susanna Salminen-Paatero, Emilia Tuomaala, Tarmo Virtanen, Atte Korhola, Anna Autio, Hannu Marttila, Pertti Ala-Aho, Annalea Lohila, and Minna Väliranta
Biogeosciences, 22, 3047–3071, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3047-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3047-2025, 2025
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Shfaqat A. Khan, Helene Seroussi, Mathieu Morlighem, William Colgan, Veit Helm, Gong Cheng, Danjal Berg, Valentina R. Barletta, Nicolaj K. Larsen, William Kochtitzky, Michiel van den Broeke, Kurt H. Kjær, Andy Aschwanden, Brice Noël, Jason E. Box, Joseph A. MacGregor, Robert S. Fausto, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Ian M. Howat, Kuba Oniszk, Dominik Fahrner, Anja Løkkegaard, Eigil Y. H. Lippert, Alicia Bråtner, and Javed Hassan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 3047–3071, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3047-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3047-2025, 2025
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The surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet is changing due to surface mass balance processes and ice dynamics, each exhibiting distinct spatiotemporal patterns. Here, we employ satellite and airborne altimetry data with fine spatial (1 km) and temporal (monthly) resolutions to document this spatiotemporal evolution from 2003 to 2023. This dataset of fine-resolution altimetry data in both space and time will support studies of ice mass loss and be useful for GIS ice sheet modeling.
Filip Muhic, Pertti Ala-Aho, Matthias Sprenger, Björn Klöve, and Hannu Marttila
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4861–4881, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4861-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4861-2024, 2024
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The snowmelt event governs the hydrological cycle of sub-arctic areas. In this study, we conducted a tracer experiment on a forested hilltop in Lapland to identify how high-volume infiltration events modify the soil water storage. We found that a strong tracer signal remained in deeper soil layers after the experiment and over the winter, but it got fully displaced during the snowmelt. We propose a conceptual infiltration model that explains how the snowmelt homogenizes the soil water storage.
Jari-Pekka Nousu, Kersti Leppä, Hannu Marttila, Pertti Ala-aho, Giulia Mazzotti, Terhikki Manninen, Mika Korkiakoski, Mika Aurela, Annalea Lohila, and Samuli Launiainen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4643–4666, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4643-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4643-2024, 2024
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We used hydrological models, field measurements, and satellite-based data to study the soil moisture dynamics in a subarctic catchment. The role of groundwater was studied with different ways to model the groundwater dynamics and via comparisons to the observational data. The choice of groundwater model was shown to have a strong impact, and representation of lateral flow was important to capture wet soil conditions. Our results provide insights for ecohydrological studies in boreal regions.
Yi Zhou, Xianwei Wang, Ruibo Lei, Arttu Jutila, Donald K. Perovich, Luisa von Albedyll, Dmitry V. Divine, Yu Zhang, and Christian Haas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2821, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2821, 2024
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This study examines how the bulk density of Arctic sea ice varies seasonally, a factor often overlooked in satellite measurements of sea ice thickness. From October to April, we found significant seasonal variations in sea ice bulk density at different spatial scales using direct observations as well as airborne and satellite data. New models were then developed to indirectly predict sea ice bulk density. This advance can improve our ability to monitor changes in Arctic sea ice.
Coline Bouchayer, Ugo Nanni, Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre, John Hult, Louise Steffensen Schmidt, Jack Kohler, François Renard, and Thomas V. Schuler
The Cryosphere, 18, 2939–2968, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2939-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2939-2024, 2024
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We explore the interplay between surface runoff and subglacial conditions. We focus on Kongsvegen glacier in Svalbard. We drilled 350 m down to the glacier base to measure water pressure, till strength, seismic noise, and glacier surface velocity. In the low-melt season, the drainage system adapted gradually, while the high-melt season led to a transient response, exceeding drainage capacity and enhancing sliding. Our findings contribute to discussions on subglacial hydro-mechanical processes.
Gabriel Pereira Freitas, Ben Kopec, Kouji Adachi, Radovan Krejci, Dominic Heslin-Rees, Karl Espen Yttri, Alun Hubbard, Jeffrey M. Welker, and Paul Zieger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5479–5494, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5479-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5479-2024, 2024
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Bioaerosols can participate in ice formation within clouds. In the Arctic, where global warming manifests most, they may become more important as their sources prevail for longer periods of the year. We have directly measured bioaerosols within clouds for a full year at an Arctic mountain site using a novel combination of cloud particle sampling and single-particle techniques. We show that bioaerosols act as cloud seeds and may influence the presence of ice within clouds.
Moein Mellat, Amy R. Macfarlane, Camilla F. Brunello, Martin Werner, Martin Schneebeli, Ruzica Dadic, Stefanie Arndt, Kaisa-Riikka Mustonen, Jeffrey M. Welker, and Hanno Meyer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-719, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-719, 2024
Preprint archived
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Our research, utilizing data from the Arctic MOSAiC expedition, reveals how snow on Arctic sea ice changes due to weather conditions. By analyzing snow samples collected over a year, we found differences in snow layers that tell us about their origins and how they've been affected by the environment. We discovered variations in snow and vapour that reflect the influence of weather patterns and surface processes like wind and sublimation.
Danny Croghan, Pertti Ala-Aho, Jeffrey Welker, Kaisa-Riikka Mustonen, Kieran Khamis, David M. Hannah, Jussi Vuorenmaa, Bjørn Kløve, and Hannu Marttila
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1055–1070, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1055-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1055-2024, 2024
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The transport of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from land into streams is changing due to climate change. We used a multi-year dataset of DOC and predictors of DOC in a subarctic stream to find out how transport of DOC varied between seasons and between years. We found that the way DOC is transported varied strongly seasonally, but year-to-year differences were less apparent. We conclude that the mechanisms of transport show a higher degree of interannual consistency than previously thought.
Philip Meister, Anne Alexandre, Hannah Bailey, Philip Barker, Boris K. Biskaborn, Ellie Broadman, Rosine Cartier, Bernhard Chapligin, Martine Couapel, Jonathan R. Dean, Bernhard Diekmann, Poppy Harding, Andrew C. G. Henderson, Armand Hernandez, Ulrike Herzschuh, Svetlana S. Kostrova, Jack Lacey, Melanie J. Leng, Andreas Lücke, Anson W. Mackay, Eniko Katalin Magyari, Biljana Narancic, Cécile Porchier, Gunhild Rosqvist, Aldo Shemesh, Corinne Sonzogni, George E. A. Swann, Florence Sylvestre, and Hanno Meyer
Clim. Past, 20, 363–392, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-363-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-363-2024, 2024
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This paper presents the first comprehensive compilation of diatom oxygen isotope records in lake sediments (δ18OBSi), supported by lake basin parameters. We infer the spatial and temporal coverage of δ18OBSi records and discuss common hemispheric trends on centennial and millennial timescales. Key results are common patterns for hydrologically open lakes in Northern Hemisphere extratropical regions during the Holocene corresponding to known climatic epochs, i.e. the Holocene Thermal Maximum.
Baptiste Vandecrux, Robert S. Fausto, Jason E. Box, Federico Covi, Regine Hock, Åsa K. Rennermalm, Achim Heilig, Jakob Abermann, Dirk van As, Elisa Bjerre, Xavier Fettweis, Paul C. J. P. Smeets, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Max Brils, Peter L. Langen, Ruth Mottram, and Andreas P. Ahlstrøm
The Cryosphere, 18, 609–631, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-609-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-609-2024, 2024
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How fast is the Greenland ice sheet warming? In this study, we compiled 4500+ temperature measurements at 10 m below the ice sheet surface (T10m) from 1912 to 2022. We trained a machine learning model on these data and reconstructed T10m for the ice sheet during 1950–2022. After a slight cooling during 1950–1985, the ice sheet warmed at a rate of 0.7 °C per decade until 2022. Climate models showed mixed results compared to our observations and underestimated the warming in key regions.
Andrea Spolaor, Federico Scoto, Catherine Larose, Elena Barbaro, Francois Burgay, Mats P. Bjorkman, David Cappelletti, Federico Dallo, Fabrizio de Blasi, Dmitry Divine, Giuliano Dreossi, Jacopo Gabrieli, Elisabeth Isaksson, Jack Kohler, Tonu Martma, Louise S. Schmidt, Thomas V. Schuler, Barbara Stenni, Clara Turetta, Bartłomiej Luks, Mathieu Casado, and Jean-Charles Gallet
The Cryosphere, 18, 307–320, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024, 2024
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We evaluate the impact of the increased snowmelt on the preservation of the oxygen isotope (δ18O) signal in firn records recovered from the top of the Holtedahlfonna ice field located in the Svalbard archipelago. Thanks to a multidisciplinary approach we demonstrate a progressive deterioration of the isotope signal in the firn core. We link the degradation of the δ18O signal to the increased occurrence and intensity of melt events associated with the rapid warming occurring in the archipelago.
Emma Nilsson, Carmen Paulina Vega, Dmitry Divine, Anja Eichler, Tonu Martma, Robert Mulvaney, Elisabeth Schlosser, Margit Schwikowski, and Elisabeth Isaksson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3156, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3156, 2024
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To project future climate change it is necessary to understand paleoclimate including past sea ice conditions. We have investigated methane sulphonic acid (MSA) in Antarctic firn and ice cores to reconstruct sea ice extent (SIE) and found that the MSA – SIE as well as the MSA – phytoplankton biomass relationship varies across the different firn and ice cores. These inconsistencies in correlations across records suggest that MSA in Fimbul Ice Shelf cores does not reliably indicate regional SIE.
Jari-Pekka Nousu, Matthieu Lafaysse, Giulia Mazzotti, Pertti Ala-aho, Hannu Marttila, Bertrand Cluzet, Mika Aurela, Annalea Lohila, Pasi Kolari, Aaron Boone, Mathieu Fructus, and Samuli Launiainen
The Cryosphere, 18, 231–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-231-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-231-2024, 2024
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The snowpack has a major impact on the land surface energy budget. Accurate simulation of the snowpack energy budget is difficult, and studies that evaluate models against energy budget observations are rare. We compared predictions from well-known models with observations of energy budgets, snow depths and soil temperatures in Finland. Our study identified contrasting strengths and limitations for the models. These results can be used for choosing the right models depending on the use cases.
Baptiste Vandecrux, Jason E. Box, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Signe B. Andersen, Nicolas Bayou, William T. Colgan, Nicolas J. Cullen, Robert S. Fausto, Dominik Haas-Artho, Achim Heilig, Derek A. Houtz, Penelope How, Ionut Iosifescu Enescu, Nanna B. Karlsson, Rebecca Kurup Buchholz, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Daniel McGrath, Noah P. Molotch, Bianca Perren, Maiken K. Revheim, Anja Rutishauser, Kevin Sampson, Martin Schneebeli, Sandy Starkweather, Simon Steffen, Jeff Weber, Patrick J. Wright, Henry Jay Zwally, and Konrad Steffen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 5467–5489, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5467-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5467-2023, 2023
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The Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) comprises stations that have been monitoring the weather on the Greenland Ice Sheet for over 30 years. These stations are being replaced by newer ones maintained by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). The historical data were reprocessed to improve their quality, and key information about the weather stations has been compiled. This augmented dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.22008/FK2/VVXGUT (Steffen et al., 2022).
Leo-Juhani Meriö, Anssi Rauhala, Pertti Ala-aho, Anton Kuzmin, Pasi Korpelainen, Timo Kumpula, Bjørn Kløve, and Hannu Marttila
The Cryosphere, 17, 4363–4380, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4363-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4363-2023, 2023
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Information on seasonal snow cover is essential in understanding snow processes and operational forecasting. We study the spatiotemporal variability in snow depth and snow processes in a subarctic, boreal landscape using drones. We identified multiple theoretically known snow processes and interactions between snow and vegetation. The results highlight the applicability of the drones to be used for a detailed study of snow depth in multiple land cover types and snow–vegetation interactions.
Anssi Rauhala, Leo-Juhani Meriö, Anton Kuzmin, Pasi Korpelainen, Pertti Ala-aho, Timo Kumpula, Bjørn Kløve, and Hannu Marttila
The Cryosphere, 17, 4343–4362, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4343-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4343-2023, 2023
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Snow conditions in the Northern Hemisphere are rapidly changing, and information on snow depth is important for decision-making. We present snow depth measurements using different drones throughout the winter at a subarctic site. Generally, all drones produced good estimates of snow depth in open areas. However, differences were observed in the accuracies produced by the different drones, and a reduction in accuracy was observed when moving from an open mire area to forest-covered areas.
Thomas Frank, Ward J. J. van Pelt, and Jack Kohler
The Cryosphere, 17, 4021–4045, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4021-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4021-2023, 2023
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Since the ice thickness of most glaciers worldwide is unknown, and since it is not feasible to visit every glacier and observe their thickness directly, inverse modelling techniques are needed that can calculate ice thickness from abundant surface observations. Here, we present a new method for doing that. Our methodology relies on modelling the rate of surface elevation change for a given glacier, compare this with observations of the same quantity and change the bed until the two are in line.
Alice C. Frémand, Peter Fretwell, Julien A. Bodart, Hamish D. Pritchard, Alan Aitken, Jonathan L. Bamber, Robin Bell, Cesidio Bianchi, Robert G. Bingham, Donald D. Blankenship, Gino Casassa, Ginny Catania, Knut Christianson, Howard Conway, Hugh F. J. Corr, Xiangbin Cui, Detlef Damaske, Volkmar Damm, Reinhard Drews, Graeme Eagles, Olaf Eisen, Hannes Eisermann, Fausto Ferraccioli, Elena Field, René Forsberg, Steven Franke, Shuji Fujita, Yonggyu Gim, Vikram Goel, Siva Prasad Gogineni, Jamin Greenbaum, Benjamin Hills, Richard C. A. Hindmarsh, Andrew O. Hoffman, Per Holmlund, Nicholas Holschuh, John W. Holt, Annika N. Horlings, Angelika Humbert, Robert W. Jacobel, Daniela Jansen, Adrian Jenkins, Wilfried Jokat, Tom Jordan, Edward King, Jack Kohler, William Krabill, Mette Kusk Gillespie, Kirsty Langley, Joohan Lee, German Leitchenkov, Carlton Leuschen, Bruce Luyendyk, Joseph MacGregor, Emma MacKie, Kenichi Matsuoka, Mathieu Morlighem, Jérémie Mouginot, Frank O. Nitsche, Yoshifumi Nogi, Ole A. Nost, John Paden, Frank Pattyn, Sergey V. Popov, Eric Rignot, David M. Rippin, Andrés Rivera, Jason Roberts, Neil Ross, Anotonia Ruppel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Andrew M. Smith, Daniel Steinhage, Michael Studinger, Bo Sun, Ignazio Tabacco, Kirsty Tinto, Stefano Urbini, David Vaughan, Brian C. Welch, Douglas S. Wilson, Duncan A. Young, and Achille Zirizzotti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2695–2710, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, 2023
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This paper presents the release of over 60 years of ice thickness, bed elevation, and surface elevation data acquired over Antarctica by the international community. These data are a crucial component of the Antarctic Bedmap initiative which aims to produce a new map and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography for the international glaciology and geophysical community.
Johannes Oerlemans, Jack Kohler, and Adrian Luckman
The Cryosphere, 16, 2115–2126, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2115-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2115-2022, 2022
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Tunabreen is a 26 km long tidewater glacier. It is the most frequently surging glacier in Svalbard, with four documented surges in the past 100 years. We have modelled this glacier to find out how it reacts to future climate change. Careful calibration was done against the observed length record for the past 100 years. For a 50 m increase in the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) the length of the glacier will be shortened by 10 km after about 100 years.
Kenneth D. Mankoff, Xavier Fettweis, Peter L. Langen, Martin Stendel, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Nanna B. Karlsson, Brice Noël, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Anne Solgaard, William Colgan, Jason E. Box, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Michalea D. King, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Signe Bech Andersen, and Robert S. Fausto
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5001–5025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5001-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5001-2021, 2021
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We estimate the daily mass balance and its components (surface, marine, and basal mass balance) for the Greenland ice sheet. Our time series begins in 1840 and has annual resolution through 1985 and then daily from 1986 through next week. Results are operational (updated daily) and provided for the entire ice sheet or by commonly used regions or sectors. This is the first input–output mass balance estimate to include the basal mass balance.
Cited articles
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Adusumilli, S., Fish, M., Fricker, H. A., and Medley, B.: Atmospheric River Precipitation Contributed to Rapid Increases in Surface Height of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in 2019, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091076, 2021.
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Ala-Aho, P., Welker, J. M., Bailey, H., Pedersen, S. H., Kopec, B., Klein, E., Mellat, M., Mustonen, K.-R., Noor, K., and Marttila, H.: Arctic snow isotope hydrology: A comparative snow-water vapor study, Atmosphere-Basel, 12, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020150, 2021.
Bailey, H. and Hubbard, A.: Snow Mass Recharge of the Greenland Ice Sheet Fueled by Intense Atmospheric River, Geophys. Res. Lett., 52, e2024GL110121, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110121, 2025.
Bailey, H., Hubbard, A., Klein, E. S., Mustonen, K. R., Akers, P. D., Marttila, H., and Welker, J. M.: Arctic sea-ice loss fuels extreme European snowfall, Nat. Geosci., 14, 283–288, https://doi.org/10.1038/S41561-021-00719-Y, 2021.
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Bailey, H. L., Kaufman, D. S., Sloane, H. J., Hubbard, A. L., Henderson, A. C. G., Leng, M. J., Meyer, H., and Welker, J. M.: Holocene atmospheric circulation in the central North Pacific: A new terrestrial diatom and δ18O dataset from the Aleutian Islands, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 194, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.06.027, 2018.
Bernard, É. and Friedt, J. M.: Did a global heatwave have a lasting impact on the snowpack and the annual glacier mass balance? The example of a small glacial basin observatory in the High Arctic (Brøgger Peninsula, Spitsbergen), Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 57, https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2025.2479899, 2025.
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Box, J. E., Nielsen, K. P., Yang, X., Niwano, M., Wehrlé, A., van As, D., Fettweis, X., Køltzow, M. A. Ø., Palmason, B., Fausto, R. S., van den Broeke, M. R., Huai, B., Ahlstrøm, A. P., Langley, K., Dachauer, A., and Noël, B.: Greenland ice sheet rainfall climatology, extremes and atmospheric river rapids, Meteorol. Appl., 30, e2134, https://doi.org/10.1002/met.2134, 2023.
Brunello, C. F., Meyer, H., Mellat, M., Casado, M., Bucci, S., Dütsch, M., and Werner, M.: Contrasting Seasonal Isotopic Signatures of Near-Surface Atmospheric Water Vapor in the Central Arctic During the MOSAiC Campaign, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 128, e2022JD038400, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JD038400, 2023.
Champagne, O., Zolina, O., Dedieu, J.-P., Wolff, M., and Jacobi, H.-W.: Artificial Trends or Real Changes? Investigating Precipitation Records in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, J. Hydrometeorol., 25, 809–825, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-23-0182.1, 2024.
Croghan, D., Pedron, S. A., Redman, Z. C., Kopec, B. G., Klein, E. S., Hubbard, A., Tomco, P. L., Feldman, G. C., Czimczik, C. I., and Welker, J. M.: Western Greenland Ice Sheet-Land-Ocean Interactions: Near-Shore Dissolved Organic Carbon 14C Ages and Composition in Eastern Baffin Bay, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 130, e2024JG008705, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JG008705, 2025.
Davies-Jones, R.: An Efficient and Accurate Method for Computing the Wet-Bulb Temperature along Pseudoadiabats, Mon. Weather Rev., 136, 2764–2785, https://doi.org/10.1175/2007MWR2224.1, 2008.
Ebell, K., Buhren, C., Gierens, R., Chellini, G., Lauer, M., Walbröl, A., Dahlke, S., Krobot, P., and Mech, M.: Impact of weather systems on observed precipitation at Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7315–7342, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7315-2025, 2025.
Eckerstorfer, M. and Christiansen, H. H.: Meteorology, Topography and Snowpack Conditions causing Two Extreme Mid-Winter Slush and Wet Slab Avalanche Periods in High Arctic Maritime Svalbard, Permafrost Periglac., 23, 15–25, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.734, 2012.
Geyman, E. C., J. J. van Pelt, W., Maloof, A. C., Aas, H. F., and Kohler, J.: Historical glacier change on Svalbard predicts doubling of mass loss by 2100, Nature, 601, 374–379, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04314-4, 2022.
Gorodetskaya, I. V., Tsukernik, M., Claes, K., Ralph, M. F., Neff, W. D., and Van Lipzig, N. P. M.: The role of atmospheric rivers in anomalous snow accumulation in East Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 6199–6206, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060881, 2014.
Gorodetskaya, I. V., Silva, T., Schmithüsen, H., and Hirasawa, N.: Atmospheric River Signatures in Radiosonde Profiles and Reanalyses at the Dronning Maud Land Coast, East Antarctica, Adv. Atmos. Sci., 37, 455–476, https://doi.org/10.1007/S00376-020-9221-8, 2020.
Gorodetskaya, I. V., Durán-Alarcón, C., González-Herrero, S., Clem, K. R., Zou, X., Rowe, P., Rodriguez Imazio, P., Campos, D., Leroy-Dos Santos, C., Dutrievoz, N., Wille, J. D., Chyhareva, A., Favier, V., Blanchet, J., Pohl, B., Cordero, R. R., Park, S.-J., Colwell, S., Lazzara, M. A., Carrasco, J., Gulisano, A. M., Krakovska, S., Ralph, F. M., Dethinne, T., and Picard, G.: Record-high Antarctic Peninsula temperatures and surface melt in February 2022: a compound event with an intense atmospheric river, NPJ Clim. Atmos. Sci., 6, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-023-00529-6, 2023.
Hegyi, B. M. and Taylor, P. C.: The Unprecedented 2016–2017 Arctic Sea Ice Growth Season: The Crucial Role of Atmospheric Rivers and Longwave Fluxes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 5204–5212, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GL076717, 2018.
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Hirahara, S., Horányi, A., Muñoz-Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Abdalla, S., Abellan, X., Balsamo, G., Bechtold, P., Biavati, G., Bidlot, J., Bonavita, M., De Chiara, G., Dahlgren, P., Dee, D., Diamantakis, M., Dragani, R., Flemming, J., Forbes, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A., Haimberger, L., Healy, S., Hogan, R. J., Hólm, E., Janisková, M., Keeley, S., Laloyaux, P., Lopez, P., Lupu, C., Radnoti, G., de Rosnay, P., Rozum, I., Vamborg, F., Villaume, S., and Thépaut, J. N.: The ERA5 global reanalysis, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3803, 2020.
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Kleber, G. E., Magerl, L., Turchyn, A. V., Schloemer, S., Trimmer, M., Zhu, Y., and Hodson, A.: Proglacial methane emissions driven by meltwater and groundwater flushing in a high-Arctic glacial catchment, Biogeosciences, 22, 659–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-659-2025, 2025.
Kopec, B. G., Klein, E. S., Feldman, G. C., Pedron, S. A., Bailey, H., Causey, D., Hubbard, A., Marttila, H., and Welker, J. M.: Arctic Freshwater Sources and Ocean Mixing Relationships Revealed With Seawater Isotopic Tracing, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 129, e2023JC020583, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020583, 2024.
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Leroy-Dos Santos, C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Casado, M., Fourré, E., Steen-Larsen, H. C., Maturilli, M., Orsi, A., Berchet, A., Cattani, O., Minster, B., Gherardi, J., and Landais, A.: A 4.5 Year-Long Record of Svalbard Water Vapor Isotopic Composition Documents Winter Air Mass Origin, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 125, e2020JD032681, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD032681, 2020.
Madsen, M. V., Steen‐Larsen, H. C., Hörhold, M., Box, J., Berben, S. M. P., Capron, E., Faber, A. ‐K., Hubbard, A., Jensen, M. F., Jones, T. R., Kipfstuhl, S., Koldtoft, I., Pillar, H. R., Vaughn, B. H., Vladimirova, D., and Dahl‐Jensen, D.: Evidence of Isotopic Fractionation During Vapor Exchange Between the Atmosphere and the Snow Surface in Greenland, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 2932–2945, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029619, 2019.
Mattingly, K. S., Mote, T. L., and Fettweis, X.: Atmospheric River Impacts on Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 123, 8538–8560, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028714, 2018.
Mattingly, K. S., Mote, T. L., Fettweis, X., As, D. V. A. N., Tricht, K. V. A. N., Lhermitte, S., Pettersen, C., and Fausto, R. S.: Strong Summer Atmospheric Rivers Trigger Greenland Ice Sheet Melt through Spatially Varying Surface Energy Balance and Cloud Regimes, J. Climate, 33, 6809–6832, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0835.1, 2020.
Maturilli, M.: High resolution radiosonde measurements from station Ny-Ålesund (2022-03), PANGAEA [data set], https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.944406, 2022.
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Short summary
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow corridors of intense heat and moisture that can deliver extreme weather to the Arctic. We investigate a record March 2022 event in Svalbard using measurements of air and precipitation to track its origin and evolution. While the AR brought unusual winter rain and snow melt, it also delivered substantial snowfall that partially offset glacier mass loss. These findings show that the impacts of ARs on Arctic glaciers are more complex than typically reported.
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow corridors of intense heat and moisture that can deliver...
