Validation of the summertime surface energy budget of Larsen C Ice Shelf (Antarctica) as represented in three high-resolution atmospheric models (original) (raw)
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Summertime cloud phase strongly influences surface melting on the Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 2020
Surface melting on Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves can influence ice shelf mass balance, and consequently sea level rise. We show that summertime cloud phase on the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula strongly influences the amount of radiation received at the surface and can determine whether or not melting occurs. While previous work has separately evaluated cloud phase 2 and the surface energy balance (SEB) during summertime over Larsen C, no previous studies have examined this relationship quantitatively. Furthermore, regional climate models frequently produce surface radiation biases related to cloud ice and liquid water content. This study uses a highresolution regional configuration of the UK Met Office Unified Model (MetUM) to assess the influence of cloud ice and liquid properties on the SEB, and consequently melting, over the Larsen C ice shelf. Results from a case study show that simulations producing a vertical cloud phase structure more comparable to aircraft observations exhibit smaller surface radiative biases. A configuration of the MetUM adapted to improve the simulation of cloud phase reproduces the observed surface melt most closely. During a five-week simulation of summertime conditions, model melt biases are reduced to < 2 W m-2 : a four-fold improvement on a previous study that used default MetUM settings. This demonstrates the importance of cloud phase in determining summertime melt rates on Larsen C.
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2020
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Antarctic Clouds and Radiation within the NCAR Climate Models*
Journal of Climate, 2004
To evaluate and improve the treatment of clouds and radiation by the climate models of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), simulations by the NCAR Community Climate Model version 3 (CCM3), as well as the recently released Community Atmosphere Model version 2 (CAM2), are examined. The Rasch and Kristjánsson prognostic cloud condensate scheme, which is now the standard scheme for CAM2, is included in a version of CCM3 and evaluated. Furthermore, the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model (RRTM), which alleviates the deficit in downward clear-sky longwave radiation, is also included in a version of CCM3. The new radiation scheme in CAM2 also alleviates the clear-sky longwave bias, although RRTM is not included. The impact of the changes is especially large over the interior of Antarctica. The changes induced by the introduction of the prognostic cloud scheme are found to have a much larger impact on the CCM3 simulations than do those from the introduction of RRTM. The introduction of the prognostic cloud scheme increases cloud emissivity in the upper troposphere, reduces cloud emissivity in the lower troposphere, and results in a better vertical distribution of cloud radiative properties over interior Antarctica. The climate simulations have a very large cold bias in the stratosphere, especially during summer. There are significant deficiencies in the simulation of Antarctic cloud radiative effects. The optical thickness of Antarctic clouds appears to be excessive. This contributes to a warm bias in surface temperature during winter and a deficit in downward shortwave radiation during summer. Some biases for Antarctica are larger for CCM3 with the prognostic cloud condensate scheme than with the standard diagnostic clouds. When the mixing ratio threshold for autoconversion from suspended ice cloud to falling precipitation is reduced toward a more realistic value, the Antarctic clouds are thinned and some of the biases are reduced. To improve the surface energy balance, not only must the radiative effects of clouds be improved, it is also necessary to improve the representation of sensible heat flux. Insufficient vertical resolution of the frequently very shallow, very stable surface boundary layer apparently contributes to an excessive heat flux from the atmosphere to the surface during winter. The representations of Antarctic clouds and radiation by the new NCAR CAM2 are not clearly improved compared to those of the earlier CCM3. For example, the surface albedo over Antarctica is descreased in CAM2 and Community Climate System Model version 2 (CCSM2) simulations in comparison to CCM3 simulations, contributing to a summer warm bias in tropospheric temperature for the former.
The Impact of Antarctic Cloud Radiative Properties on a GCM Climate Simulation*
Journal of Climate, 1998
A sensitivity study to evaluate the impact upon regional and hemispheric climate caused by changing the optical properties of clouds over the Antarctic continent is conducted with the NCAR Community Model version 2 (CCM2). Sensitivity runs are performed in which radiation interacts with ice clouds with particle sizes of 10 and 40 m rather than with the standard 10-m water clouds. The experiments are carried out for perpetual January conditions with the diurnal cycle considered. The effects of these cloud changes on the Antarctic radiation budget are examined by considering cloud forcing at the top of the atmosphere and net radiation at the surface. Changes of the cloud radiative properties to those of 10-m ice clouds over Antarctica have significant impacts on regional climate: temperature increases throughout the Antarctic troposphere by 1Њ-2ЊC and total cloud fraction over Antarctica is smaller than that of the control at low levels but is larger than that of the control in the midto upper troposphere. As a result of Antarctic warming and changes in the north-south temperature gradient, the drainage flows at the surface as well as the meridional mass circulation are weakened. Similarly, the circumpolar trough weakens significantly by 4-8 hPa and moves northward by about 4Њ-5Њ latitude. This regional mass field adjustment halves the strength of the simulated surface westerly winds. As a result of indirect thermodynamic and dynamic effects, significant changes are observed in the zonal mean circulation and eddies in the middle latitudes. In fact, the simulated impacts of the Antarctic cloud radiative alteration are not confined to the Southern Hemisphere. The meridional mean mass flux, zonal wind, and latent heat release exhibit statistically significant changes in the Tropics and even extratropics of the Northern Hemisphere. The simulation with radiative properties of 40-m ice clouds produces colder surface temperatures over Antarctica by up to 3ЊC compared to the control. Otherwise, the results of the 40-m ice cloud simulation are similar to those of the 10-m ice cloud simulation.
International Journal of Climatology, 2001
During the austral summer 1997-1998 three automatic weather stations were operated at different altitudes on the sub-Antarctic ice cap of King George Island (South Shetland Islands). Snowmelt was derived from energy balance computations. Turbulent heat fluxes were calculated from meteorological measurements using the bulk aerodynamic approach, with net radiation being measured directly. Modelled ablation rates were compared with readings at ablation stakes and continuously measured snow height at a reference site. Snow depletion and daily snowmelt cycles could be well reproduced by the model. Generally, radiation balance provided the major energy input for snowmelt at all altitudes, whereas sensible heat flux was a second heat source only in lower elevations. The average latent heat flux was negligible over the entire measuring period. A strong altitudinal gradient of available energy for snowmelt was observed. Sensible heat flux as well as latent heat flux decreased with altitude. The measurements showed a strong dependence of surface energy fluxes and ablation rates on large-scale atmospheric conditions. Synoptic weather situations were analysed based on AVHRR infrared quicklook composite images and surface pressure charts. Maximum melt rates of up to 20 mm per day were recorded during a northwesterly advection event with meridional air mass transport. During this northwesterly advection, the contribution of turbulent heat fluxes to the energy available for snowmelt exceeded that of the radiation balance. For easterly and southerly flows, continentally toned, cold dry air masses dominated surface energy balance terms and did not significantly contribute to ablation. The link between synoptic situations and ablation is especially valuable, as observed climatic changes along the Antarctic Peninsula are attributed to changes in the atmospheric circulation. Therefore, the combination of energy balance calculations and the analysis of synoptic-scale weather patterns could improve the prediction of ablation rates for climate change scenarios.