Evaluation of the updated regional climate model RACMO2.3: Summer snowfall impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Noël, Brice; Van De Berg, W.J.; Van Meijgaard, E.; Kuipers Munneke, P.; Van De Wal, R.S.W.; Van Den Broeke, M.R.

doi:10.5194/tc-9-1831-2015

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Evaluation of the updated regional climate model RACMO2.3: Summer snowfall impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Noël, Brice; Van De Berg, W.J.; Van Meijgaard, E. et al.

2015 • In The Cryosphere, 9 (5), p. 1831 - 1844

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https://hdl.handle.net/2268/301891

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10.5194/tc-9-1831-2015

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Keywords :

Water Science and Technology; Earth-Surface Processes

Abstract :

[en] We discuss Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) surface mass balance (SMB) differences between the updated polar version of the RACMO climate model (RACMO2.3) and the previous version (RACMO2.1). Among other revisions, the updated model includes an adjusted rainfall-to-snowfall conversion that produces exclusively snowfall under freezing conditions; this especially favours snowfall in summer. Summer snowfall in the ablation zone of the GrIS has a pronounced effect on melt rates, affecting modelled GrIS SMB in two ways. By covering relatively dark ice with highly reflective fresh snow, these summer snowfalls have the potential to locally reduce melt rates in the ablation zone of the GrIS through the snow-albedo-melt feedback. At larger scales, SMB changes are driven by differences in orographic precipitation following a shift in large-scale circulation, in combination with enhanced moisture to precipitation conversion for warm to moderately cold conditions. A detailed comparison of model output with observations from automatic weather stations, ice cores and ablation stakes shows that the model update generally improves the simulated SMB-elevation gradient as well as the representation of the surface energy balance, although significant biases remain.

Disciplines :

Earth sciences & physical geography

Author, co-author :

Noël, Brice ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Climatologie et Topoclimatologie ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

Van De Berg, W.J. ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

Van Meijgaard, E. ; Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, Netherlands

Kuipers Munneke, P. ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

Van De Wal, R.S.W.; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

Van Den Broeke, M.R. ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

Language :

English

Title :

Evaluation of the updated regional climate model RACMO2.3: Summer snowfall impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Publication date :

18 September 2015

Journal title :

The Cryosphere

ISSN :

1994-0416

eISSN :

1994-0424

Publisher :

Copernicus GmbH

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

1831 - 1844

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/9/1831/2015/tc-9-1831-2015.pdf

Available on ORBi :

since 21 April 2023

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