Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective
Snowfall is the major source of mass for the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) but the spatial and temporal variability of snowfall and the connections between snowfall and mass balance have so far been inadequately quantified. By characterizing local atmospheric circulation and utilizing CloudSat spacebor...
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2022
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-435-2022 https://doaj.org/article/e1d26e6f250b4be6af779a2d76a6557d |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:e1d26e6f250b4be6af779a2d76a6557d 2023-05-15T16:23:49+02:00 Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective M. R. Gallagher M. D. Shupe H. Chepfer T. L'Ecuyer 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-435-2022 https://doaj.org/article/e1d26e6f250b4be6af779a2d76a6557d EN eng Copernicus Publications https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/435/2022/tc-16-435-2022.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-16-435-2022 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/e1d26e6f250b4be6af779a2d76a6557d The Cryosphere, Vol 16, Pp 435-450 (2022) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-435-2022 2022-12-31T14:38:49Z Snowfall is the major source of mass for the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) but the spatial and temporal variability of snowfall and the connections between snowfall and mass balance have so far been inadequately quantified. By characterizing local atmospheric circulation and utilizing CloudSat spaceborne radar observations of snowfall, we provide a detailed spatial analysis of snowfall variability and its relationship to Greenland mass balance, presenting first-of-their-kind maps of daily spatial variability in snowfall from observations across Greenland. For identified regional atmospheric circulation patterns, we show that the spatial distribution and net mass input of snowfall vary significantly with the position and strength of surface cyclones. Cyclones west of Greenland driving southerly flow contribute significantly more snowfall than any other circulation regime, with each daily occurrence of the most extreme southerly circulation pattern contributing an average of 1.66 Gt of snow to the Greenland ice sheet. While cyclones east of Greenland, patterns with the least snowfall, contribute as little as 0.58 Gt each day. Above 2 km on the ice sheet where snowfall is inconsistent, extreme southerly patterns are the most significant mass contributors, with up to 1.20 Gt of snowfall above this elevation. This analysis demonstrates that snowfall over the interior of Greenland varies by up to a factor of 5 depending on regional circulation conditions. Using independent observations of mass changes made by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), we verify that the largest mass increases are tied to the southerly regime with cyclones west of Greenland. For occurrences of the strongest southerly pattern, GRACE indicates a net mass increase of 1.29 Gt in the ice sheet accumulation zone (above 2 km elevation) compared to the 1.20 Gt of snowfall observed by CloudSat. This overall agreement suggests that the analytical approach presented here can be used to directly quantify snowfall mass contributions and ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland The Cryosphere 16 2 435 450 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 M. R. Gallagher M. D. Shupe H. Chepfer T. L'Ecuyer Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Snowfall is the major source of mass for the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) but the spatial and temporal variability of snowfall and the connections between snowfall and mass balance have so far been inadequately quantified. By characterizing local atmospheric circulation and utilizing CloudSat spaceborne radar observations of snowfall, we provide a detailed spatial analysis of snowfall variability and its relationship to Greenland mass balance, presenting first-of-their-kind maps of daily spatial variability in snowfall from observations across Greenland. For identified regional atmospheric circulation patterns, we show that the spatial distribution and net mass input of snowfall vary significantly with the position and strength of surface cyclones. Cyclones west of Greenland driving southerly flow contribute significantly more snowfall than any other circulation regime, with each daily occurrence of the most extreme southerly circulation pattern contributing an average of 1.66 Gt of snow to the Greenland ice sheet. While cyclones east of Greenland, patterns with the least snowfall, contribute as little as 0.58 Gt each day. Above 2 km on the ice sheet where snowfall is inconsistent, extreme southerly patterns are the most significant mass contributors, with up to 1.20 Gt of snowfall above this elevation. This analysis demonstrates that snowfall over the interior of Greenland varies by up to a factor of 5 depending on regional circulation conditions. Using independent observations of mass changes made by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), we verify that the largest mass increases are tied to the southerly regime with cyclones west of Greenland. For occurrences of the strongest southerly pattern, GRACE indicates a net mass increase of 1.29 Gt in the ice sheet accumulation zone (above 2 km elevation) compared to the 1.20 Gt of snowfall observed by CloudSat. This overall agreement suggests that the analytical approach presented here can be used to directly quantify snowfall mass contributions and ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
M. R. Gallagher M. D. Shupe H. Chepfer T. L'Ecuyer |
author_facet |
M. R. Gallagher M. D. Shupe H. Chepfer T. L'Ecuyer |
author_sort |
M. R. Gallagher |
title |
Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective |
title_short |
Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective |
title_full |
Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective |
title_fullStr |
Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective |
title_full_unstemmed |
Relating snowfall observations to Greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective |
title_sort |
relating snowfall observations to greenland ice sheet mass changes: an atmospheric circulation perspective |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-435-2022 https://doaj.org/article/e1d26e6f250b4be6af779a2d76a6557d |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 16, Pp 435-450 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/435/2022/tc-16-435-2022.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-16-435-2022 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/e1d26e6f250b4be6af779a2d76a6557d |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-435-2022 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
16 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
435 |
op_container_end_page |
450 |
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1766012148937392128 |