The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet
Perennial snow, or firn, covers 80 % of the Greenland ice sheet and has the capacity to retain surface meltwater, influencing the ice sheet mass balance and contribution to sea-level rise. Multilayer firn models are traditionally used to simulate firn processes and estimate meltwater retention. We p...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
2020
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Online Access: | https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/1/tc-14-3785-2020.pdf https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/ http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-90618-5 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020 |
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ftmuenchenepub:oai:epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de:90618 2023-05-15T16:28:29+02:00 The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet Vandecrux, Baptiste Mottram, Ruth Langen, Peter L. Fausto, Robert S. Olesen, Martin Stevens, C. Max Verjans, Vincent Leeson, Amber Ligtenberg, Stefan Munneke, Peter Kuipers Marchenko, Sergey Pelt, Ward van Meyer, Colin R. Simonsen, Sebastian B. Heilig, Achim Samimi, Samira Marshall, Shawn Machguth, Horst MacFerrin, Michael Niwano, Masashi Miller, Olivia Voss, Clifford Box, Jason E. 2020-01-01 application/pdf https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/1/tc-14-3785-2020.pdf https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/ http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-90618-5 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020 eng eng Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Vandecrux, Baptiste; Mottram, Ruth; Langen, Peter L.; Fausto, Robert S.; Olesen, Martin; Stevens, C. Max; Verjans, Vincent; Leeson, Amber; Ligtenberg, Stefan; Munneke, Peter Kuipers; Marchenko, Sergey; Pelt, Ward van; Meyer, Colin R.; Simonsen, Sebastian B.; Heilig, Achim; Samimi, Samira; Marshall, Shawn; Machguth, Horst; MacFerrin, Michael; Niwano, Masashi; Miller, Olivia; Voss, Clifford; Box, Jason E. (2020): The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet. In: Cryosphere, Vol. 14, Nr. 11: S. 3785-3810 [PDF, 19MB] https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/1/tc-14-3785-2020.pdf http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-90618-5 https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/ doi:10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020 Cryosphere Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften ddc:550 doc-type:article Zeitschriftenartikel NonPeerReviewed 2020 ftmuenchenepub https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020 2022-11-28T00:27:15Z Perennial snow, or firn, covers 80 % of the Greenland ice sheet and has the capacity to retain surface meltwater, influencing the ice sheet mass balance and contribution to sea-level rise. Multilayer firn models are traditionally used to simulate firn processes and estimate meltwater retention. We present, intercompare and evaluate outputs from nine firn models at four sites that represent the ice sheet's dry snow, percolation, ice slab and firn aquifer areas. The models are forced by mass and energy fluxes derived from automatic weather stations and compared to firn density, temperature and meltwater percolation depth observations. Models agree relatively well at the dry-snow site while elsewhere their meltwater infiltration schemes lead to marked differences in simulated firn characteristics. Models accounting for deep meltwater percolation overestimate percolation depth and firn temperature at the percolation and ice slab sites but accurately simulate recharge of the firn aquifer. Models using Darcy's law and bucket schemes compare favorably to observed firn temperature and meltwater percolation depth at the percolation site, but only the Darcy models accurately simulate firn temperature and percolation at the ice slab site. Despite good performance at certain locations, no single model currently simulates meltwater infiltration adequately at all sites. The model spread in estimated meltwater retention and runoff increases with increasing meltwater input. The highest runoff was calculated at the KAN_U site in 2012, when average total runoff across models (+/- 2 sigma) was 353 +/- 610 mm w. e. (water equivalent), about 27 +/- 48 % of the surface meltwater input. We identify potential causes for the model spread and the mismatch with observations and provide recommendations for future model development and firn investigation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet Open Access LMU (Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich) Greenland The Cryosphere 14 11 3785 3810 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Open Access LMU (Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich) |
op_collection_id |
ftmuenchenepub |
language |
English |
topic |
Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften ddc:550 |
spellingShingle |
Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften ddc:550 Vandecrux, Baptiste Mottram, Ruth Langen, Peter L. Fausto, Robert S. Olesen, Martin Stevens, C. Max Verjans, Vincent Leeson, Amber Ligtenberg, Stefan Munneke, Peter Kuipers Marchenko, Sergey Pelt, Ward van Meyer, Colin R. Simonsen, Sebastian B. Heilig, Achim Samimi, Samira Marshall, Shawn Machguth, Horst MacFerrin, Michael Niwano, Masashi Miller, Olivia Voss, Clifford Box, Jason E. The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet |
topic_facet |
Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften ddc:550 |
description |
Perennial snow, or firn, covers 80 % of the Greenland ice sheet and has the capacity to retain surface meltwater, influencing the ice sheet mass balance and contribution to sea-level rise. Multilayer firn models are traditionally used to simulate firn processes and estimate meltwater retention. We present, intercompare and evaluate outputs from nine firn models at four sites that represent the ice sheet's dry snow, percolation, ice slab and firn aquifer areas. The models are forced by mass and energy fluxes derived from automatic weather stations and compared to firn density, temperature and meltwater percolation depth observations. Models agree relatively well at the dry-snow site while elsewhere their meltwater infiltration schemes lead to marked differences in simulated firn characteristics. Models accounting for deep meltwater percolation overestimate percolation depth and firn temperature at the percolation and ice slab sites but accurately simulate recharge of the firn aquifer. Models using Darcy's law and bucket schemes compare favorably to observed firn temperature and meltwater percolation depth at the percolation site, but only the Darcy models accurately simulate firn temperature and percolation at the ice slab site. Despite good performance at certain locations, no single model currently simulates meltwater infiltration adequately at all sites. The model spread in estimated meltwater retention and runoff increases with increasing meltwater input. The highest runoff was calculated at the KAN_U site in 2012, when average total runoff across models (+/- 2 sigma) was 353 +/- 610 mm w. e. (water equivalent), about 27 +/- 48 % of the surface meltwater input. We identify potential causes for the model spread and the mismatch with observations and provide recommendations for future model development and firn investigation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vandecrux, Baptiste Mottram, Ruth Langen, Peter L. Fausto, Robert S. Olesen, Martin Stevens, C. Max Verjans, Vincent Leeson, Amber Ligtenberg, Stefan Munneke, Peter Kuipers Marchenko, Sergey Pelt, Ward van Meyer, Colin R. Simonsen, Sebastian B. Heilig, Achim Samimi, Samira Marshall, Shawn Machguth, Horst MacFerrin, Michael Niwano, Masashi Miller, Olivia Voss, Clifford Box, Jason E. |
author_facet |
Vandecrux, Baptiste Mottram, Ruth Langen, Peter L. Fausto, Robert S. Olesen, Martin Stevens, C. Max Verjans, Vincent Leeson, Amber Ligtenberg, Stefan Munneke, Peter Kuipers Marchenko, Sergey Pelt, Ward van Meyer, Colin R. Simonsen, Sebastian B. Heilig, Achim Samimi, Samira Marshall, Shawn Machguth, Horst MacFerrin, Michael Niwano, Masashi Miller, Olivia Voss, Clifford Box, Jason E. |
author_sort |
Vandecrux, Baptiste |
title |
The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_short |
The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_full |
The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_fullStr |
The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_full_unstemmed |
The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_sort |
firn meltwater retention model intercomparison project (retmip): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the greenland ice sheet |
publisher |
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/1/tc-14-3785-2020.pdf https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/ http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-90618-5 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_source |
Cryosphere |
op_relation |
Vandecrux, Baptiste; Mottram, Ruth; Langen, Peter L.; Fausto, Robert S.; Olesen, Martin; Stevens, C. Max; Verjans, Vincent; Leeson, Amber; Ligtenberg, Stefan; Munneke, Peter Kuipers; Marchenko, Sergey; Pelt, Ward van; Meyer, Colin R.; Simonsen, Sebastian B.; Heilig, Achim; Samimi, Samira; Marshall, Shawn; Machguth, Horst; MacFerrin, Michael; Niwano, Masashi; Miller, Olivia; Voss, Clifford; Box, Jason E. (2020): The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet. In: Cryosphere, Vol. 14, Nr. 11: S. 3785-3810 [PDF, 19MB] https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/1/tc-14-3785-2020.pdf http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-90618-5 https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/90618/ doi:10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3785-2020 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
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14 |
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11 |
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3785 |
op_container_end_page |
3810 |
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1766018140738682880 |