Brief communication: Improved simulation of the present-day Greenland firn layer (1960-2016)

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: Ligtenberg, Stefan R.M., Munneke, Peter Kuipers, Noël, Brice, Van Den Broeke, Michiel R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus GmbH 2018
• Subjects: Physical; chemical; mathematical & earth Sciences; Earth sciences & physical geography; Physique; chimie; mathématiques & sciences de la terre; Sciences de la terre & géographie physique; Greenland; Ice Sheet; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/301912; https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/301912/1/Ligtenberg_TC_2018.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1643-2018

peer reviewed By providing pore space for storage or refreezing of meltwater, the Greenland ice sheet firn layer strongly modulates runoff. Correctly representing the firn layer is therefore crucial for Greenland (surface) mass balance studies. Here, we present a simulation of the Greenland firn layer with the firn model IMAU-FDM forced by the latest output of the regional climate model RACMO2, version 2.3p2. In the percolation zone, much improved agreement is found with firn density and temperature observations. A full simulation of Greenland firn at high temporal (10 days) and spatial (11 km) resolution is available for the period 1960-2016.