Simulated single-layer forest canopies delay Northern Hemisphere snowmelt

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: Todt, Markus, Rutter, Nick, Fletcher, Christopher G., Wake, Leanne M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2019
• Subjects: article; Verlagsveröffentlichung; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3077-2019; https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00049554; https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00049173/tc-13-3077-2019.pdf; https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/13/3077/2019/tc-13-3077-2019.pdf

Single-layer vegetation schemes in modern land surface models have been found to overestimate diurnal cycles in longwave radiation beneath forest canopies. This study introduces an empirical correction, based on forest-stand-scale simulations, which reduces diurnal cycles of sub-canopy longwave radiation. The correction is subsequently implemented in land-only simulations of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) in order to assess the impact on snow cover. Nighttime underestimations of sub-canopy longwave radiation outweigh daytime overestimations, which leads to underestimated averages over the snow cover season. As a result, snow temperatures are underestimated and snowmelt is delayed in CLM4.5 across evergreen boreal forests. Comparison with global observations confirms this delay and its reduction by correction of sub-canopy longwave radiation. Increasing insolation and day length change the impact of overestimated diurnal cycles on daily average sub-canopy longwave radiation throughout the snowmelt season. Consequently, delay of snowmelt in land-only simulations is more substantial where snowmelt occurs early.