Sensitivity of the MAR regional climate model snowpack to the parameterization of the assimilation of satellite-derived wet-snow masks on the Antarctic Peninsula
-
Published:2023-10-06
Issue:10
Volume:17
Page:4267-4288
-
ISSN:1994-0424
-
Container-title:The Cryosphere
-
language:en
-
Short-container-title:The Cryosphere
Author:
Dethinne ThomasORCID, Glaude QuentinORCID, Picard GhislainORCID, Kittel ChristophORCID, Alexander Patrick, Orban Anne, Fettweis XavierORCID
Abstract
Abstract. Both regional climate models (RCMs) and remote sensing (RS) data are essential tools in understanding the response of polar regions to climate change. RCMs can simulate how certain climate variables, such as surface melt, runoff and snowfall, are likely to change in response to different climate scenarios but are subject to biases and errors. RS data can assist in reducing and quantifying model uncertainties by providing indirect observations of the modeled variables on the present climate. In this work, we improve on an existing scheme to assimilate RS wet snow occurrence data with the “Modèle Atmosphérique Régional” (MAR) RCM and investigate the sensitivity of the RCM to the parameters of the scheme. The assimilation is performed by nudging the MAR snowpack temperature to match the presence of liquid water observed by satellites. The sensitivity of the assimilation method is tested by modifying parameters such as the depth to which the MAR snowpack is warmed or cooled, the quantity of water required to qualify a MAR pixel as “wet” (0.1 % or 0.2 % of the snowpack mass being water), and assimilating different RS datasets. Data assimilation is carried out on the Antarctic Peninsula for the 2019–2021 period. The results show an increase in meltwater production (+66.7 % on average, or +95 Gt), along with a small decrease in surface mass balance (SMB) (−4.5 % on average, or −20 Gt) for the 2019–2020 melt season after assimilation. The model is sensitive to the tested parameters, albeit with varying orders of magnitude. The prescribed warming depth has a larger impact on the resulting surface melt production than the liquid water content (LWC) threshold due to strong refreezing occurring within the top layers of the snowpack. The values tested for the LWC threshold are lower than the LWC for typical melt days (approximately 1.2 %) and impact results mainly at the beginning and end of the melting period. The assimilation method will allow for the estimation of uncertainty in MAR meltwater production and will enable the identification of potential issues in modeling near-surface snowpack processes, paving the way for more accurate simulations of snow processes in model projections.
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
Earth-Surface Processes,Water Science and Technology
Reference75 articles.
1. Adusumilli, S., Fricker, H. A., Medley, B., Padman, L., and Siegfried, M. R.:
Interannual variations in meltwater input to the Southern Ocean from
Antarctic ice shelves, Nat. Geosci., 13, 616–620,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0616-z, 2020. a 2. Amante, C. and Eakins, B. W.: ETOPO1 arc-minute global relief model:
procedures, data sources and analysis, NOAA technical memorandum NESDIS
NGDC-24, https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/1163 (last access: 20 October 2022), 2009. a 3. Ashcraft, I. S. and Long, D. G.: Comparison of methods for melt detection over
Greenland using active and passive microwave measurements, Int.
J. Remote Sens., 27, 2469–2488, https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160500534465,
2006. a 4. Banwell, A. F., Datta, R. T., Dell, R. L., Moussavi, M., Brucker, L., Picard, G., Shuman, C. A., and Stevens, L. A.: The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, The Cryosphere, 15, 909–925, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-909-2021, 2021. a 5. Barrand, N. E., Vaughan, D. G., Steiner, N., Tedesco, M., Kuipers Munneke, P.,
van den Broeke, M. R., and Hosking, J. S.: Trends in Antarctic Peninsula
surface melting conditions from observations and regional climate modeling,
J. Geophys. Res.-Earth Surf., 118, 315–330,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JF002559, 2013. a
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
|
|