Response of the longwave radiation over melting snow and ice to atmospheric warming

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Meesters, Antoon, van den Broeke, Michiel
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1997
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Greenland; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000002811; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000002811

Abstract Parameterizing the incoming longwave radiation L ↓ in terms of the fourth power of the absolute temperature at the reference height is used in glaciology for several purposes. In this paper, the validity of this kind of parameterization is investigated for the Greenland ice sheer, both by observations and by numerical simulation with a meso-scale model, It is found that such a parameterization severely underestimates the increase of L ↓ in response to large-scale warming in an area where surface melting is important. This is explained by the systematic influence that is exerted on the shape of the temperature profiles by surface melting.