Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica
We use reanalysis data and satellite remote sensing of cloud properties to examine how meteorological conditions alter the surface energy balance to cause surface melt that is detectable in satellite passive microwave imagery over West Antarctica. This analysis can detect each of the three primary m...
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Online Access: | http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1787818 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1787818 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 |
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ftosti:oai:osti.gov:1787818 2023-07-30T03:59:22+02:00 Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica Ghiz, Madison L. Scott, Ryan C. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Lenaerts, Jan T. M. Lazzara, Matthew Lubin, Dan 2021-08-12 application/pdf http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1787818 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1787818 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 unknown http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1787818 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1787818 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 doi:10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 2021 ftosti https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 2023-07-11T10:04:12Z We use reanalysis data and satellite remote sensing of cloud properties to examine how meteorological conditions alter the surface energy balance to cause surface melt that is detectable in satellite passive microwave imagery over West Antarctica. This analysis can detect each of the three primary mechanisms for inducing surface melt at a specific location: thermal blanketing involving sensible heat flux and/or longwave heating by optically thick cloud cover, all-wave radiative enhancement by optically thin cloud cover, and föhn winds. We examine case studies over Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, which are of interest for ice shelf and ice sheet stability, and over Siple Dome, which is more readily accessible for field work. During January 2015 over Siple Dome we identified a melt event whose origin is an all-wave radiative enhancement by optically thin clouds. During December 2011 over Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, we identified a melt event caused mainly by thermal blanketing from optically thick clouds. Over Siple Dome, those same 2011 synoptic conditions yielded a thermal-blanketing-driven melt event that was initiated by an impulse of sensible heat flux and then prolonged by cloud longwave heating. The December 2011 synoptic conditions also generated föhn winds at a location on the Ross Ice Shelf adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains, and we analyze this case with additional support from automatic weather station data. In contrast, a late-summer thermal blanketing period over Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers during February 2013 showed surface melt initiated by cloud longwave heating and then prolonged by enhanced sensible heat flux. One limitation thus far with this type of analysis involves uncertainties in the cloud optical properties. Nevertheless, with improvements this type of analysis can enable quantitative prediction of atmospheric stress on the vulnerable Antarctic ice shelves in a steadily warming climate. Other/Unknown Material Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Pine Island Ross Ice Shelf West Antarctica SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) Antarctic West Antarctica Ross Ice Shelf Transantarctic Mountains Siple ENVELOPE(-83.917,-83.917,-75.917,-75.917) Siple Dome ENVELOPE(-148.833,-148.833,-81.667,-81.667) The Cryosphere 15 7 3459 3494 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) |
op_collection_id |
ftosti |
language |
unknown |
topic |
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
spellingShingle |
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Ghiz, Madison L. Scott, Ryan C. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Lenaerts, Jan T. M. Lazzara, Matthew Lubin, Dan Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica |
topic_facet |
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES |
description |
We use reanalysis data and satellite remote sensing of cloud properties to examine how meteorological conditions alter the surface energy balance to cause surface melt that is detectable in satellite passive microwave imagery over West Antarctica. This analysis can detect each of the three primary mechanisms for inducing surface melt at a specific location: thermal blanketing involving sensible heat flux and/or longwave heating by optically thick cloud cover, all-wave radiative enhancement by optically thin cloud cover, and föhn winds. We examine case studies over Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, which are of interest for ice shelf and ice sheet stability, and over Siple Dome, which is more readily accessible for field work. During January 2015 over Siple Dome we identified a melt event whose origin is an all-wave radiative enhancement by optically thin clouds. During December 2011 over Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, we identified a melt event caused mainly by thermal blanketing from optically thick clouds. Over Siple Dome, those same 2011 synoptic conditions yielded a thermal-blanketing-driven melt event that was initiated by an impulse of sensible heat flux and then prolonged by cloud longwave heating. The December 2011 synoptic conditions also generated föhn winds at a location on the Ross Ice Shelf adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains, and we analyze this case with additional support from automatic weather station data. In contrast, a late-summer thermal blanketing period over Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers during February 2013 showed surface melt initiated by cloud longwave heating and then prolonged by enhanced sensible heat flux. One limitation thus far with this type of analysis involves uncertainties in the cloud optical properties. Nevertheless, with improvements this type of analysis can enable quantitative prediction of atmospheric stress on the vulnerable Antarctic ice shelves in a steadily warming climate. |
author |
Ghiz, Madison L. Scott, Ryan C. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Lenaerts, Jan T. M. Lazzara, Matthew Lubin, Dan |
author_facet |
Ghiz, Madison L. Scott, Ryan C. Vogelmann, Andrew M. Lenaerts, Jan T. M. Lazzara, Matthew Lubin, Dan |
author_sort |
Ghiz, Madison L. |
title |
Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica |
title_short |
Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica |
title_full |
Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica |
title_sort |
energetics of surface melt in west antarctica |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1787818 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1787818 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-83.917,-83.917,-75.917,-75.917) ENVELOPE(-148.833,-148.833,-81.667,-81.667) |
geographic |
Antarctic West Antarctica Ross Ice Shelf Transantarctic Mountains Siple Siple Dome |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic West Antarctica Ross Ice Shelf Transantarctic Mountains Siple Siple Dome |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Pine Island Ross Ice Shelf West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Pine Island Ross Ice Shelf West Antarctica |
op_relation |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1787818 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1787818 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 doi:10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
3459 |
op_container_end_page |
3494 |
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1772810149772132352 |