Basin-scale heterogeneity in Antarctic precipitation and its impact on surface mass variability

Fyke, Jeremy; Lenaerts, Jan T. M.; Wang, Hailong

doi:10.5194/tc-11-2595-2017

Title: Basin-scale heterogeneity in Antarctic precipitation and its impact on surface mass variability

Journal Article · Wed Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2017 · The Cryosphere (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2595-2017· OSTI ID:1408925

Fyke, Jeremy; Lenaerts, Jan T. M.; Wang, Hailong

Annually averaged precipitation in the form of snow, the dominant term of the Antarctic Ice Sheet surface mass balance, displays large spatial and temporal variability. Here we present an analysis of spatial patterns of regional Antarctic precipitation variability and their impact on integrated Antarctic surface mass balance variability simulated as part of a preindustrial 1800-year global, fully coupled Community Earth System Model simulation. Correlation and composite analyses based on this output allow for a robust exploration of Antarctic precipitation variability. We identify statistically significant relationships between precipitation patterns across Antarctica that are corroborated by climate reanalyses, regional modeling and ice core records. These patterns are driven by variability in large-scale atmospheric moisture transport, which itself is characterized by decadal- to centennial-scale oscillations around the long-term mean. We suggest that this heterogeneity in Antarctic precipitation variability has a dampening effect on overall Antarctic surface mass balance variability, with implications for regulation of Antarctic-sourced sea level variability, detection of an emergent anthropogenic signal in Antarctic mass trends and identification of Antarctic mass loss accelerations.

View Journal Article

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396; AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1408925

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1412881; OSTI ID: 1415077

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-17-30709; PNNL-SA-126778

Journal Information:: The Cryosphere (Online), Journal Name: The Cryosphere (Online) Vol. 11 Journal Issue: 6; ISSN 1994-0424

Publisher:: Copernicus Publications, EGUCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Germany

Language:: English

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 29 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (40)

Intermittent signature of ENSO in west-Antarctic precipitation Genthon, Christophe Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 30, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018280	journal	January 2003
Atmospheric Meridional Moisture Flux over the Southern Ocean: A Story of the Amundsen Sea Tsukernik, Maria; Lynch, Amanda H. Journal of Climate, Vol. 26, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00381.1	journal	October 2013
Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica Fretwell, P.; Pritchard, H. D.; Vaughan, D. G. The Cryosphere, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-375-2013	journal	January 2013
The Community Earth System Model: A Framework for Collaborative Research Hurrell, James W.; Holland, M. M.; Gent, P. R. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00121	journal	February 2013
An updated and quality controlled surface mass balance dataset for Antarctica Favier, V.; Agosta, C.; Parouty, S. The Cryosphere, Vol. 7, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-583-2013	journal	January 2013
Evaluation of current and projected Antarctic precipitation in CMIP5 models Palerme, Cyril; Genthon, Christophe; Claud, Chantal Climate Dynamics, Vol. 48, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-3071-1	journal	March 2016
Overview of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) experimental design and organization Eyring, Veronika; Bony, Sandrine; Meehl, Gerald A. Geoscientific Model Development, Vol. 9, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-1937-2016	journal	January 2016
A zonal wave 3 index for the Southern Hemisphere: ZONAL WAVE 3 INDEX Raphael, M. N. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 31, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020365	journal	December 2004
Circumpolar Deep Water Circulation and Variability in a Coupled Climate Model Santoso, Agus; England, Matthew H.; Hirst, Anthony C. Journal of Physical Oceanography, Vol. 36, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO2930.1	journal	August 2006
Terrestrial waters and sea level variations on interannual time scale Llovel, W.; Becker, M.; Cazenave, A. Global and Planetary Change, Vol. 75, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.10.008	journal	January 2011
Spatial and temporal Antarctic Ice Sheet mass trends, glacio‐isostatic adjustment, and surface processes from a joint inversion of satellite altimeter, gravity, and GPS data Martín‐Español, Alba; Zammit‐Mangion, Andrew; Clarke, Peter J. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, Vol. 121, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003550	journal	February 2016
Understanding the SAM influence on the South Pacific ENSO teleconnection Fogt, Ryan L.; Bromwich, David H.; Hines, Keith M. Climate Dynamics, Vol. 36, Issue 7-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0905-0	journal	September 2010
The Influence of the Amundsen–Bellingshausen Seas Low on the Climate of West Antarctica and Its Representation in Coupled Climate Model Simulations Hosking, J. Scott; Orr, Andrew; Marshall, Gareth J. Journal of Climate, Vol. 26, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00813.1	journal	September 2013
Divergent trajectories of Antarctic surface melt under two twenty-first-century climate scenarios Trusel, Luke D.; Frey, Karen E.; Das, Sarah B. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 8, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2563	journal	October 2015
Asymmetries in the moisture origin of Antarctic precipitation Sodemann, Harald; Stohl, Andreas Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 36, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL040242	journal	January 2009
Improved representation of East Antarctic surface mass balance in a regional atmospheric climate model Van Wessem, J. M.; Reijmer, C. H.; Morlighem, M. Journal of Glaciology, Vol. 60, Issue 222 https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG14J051	journal	January 2014
Sensitivity of Antarctic sea ice to the Southern Annular Mode in coupled climate models Holland, Marika M.; Landrum, Laura; Kostov, Yavor Climate Dynamics, Vol. 49, Issue 5-6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-3424-9	journal	October 2016
Surface Melting over Ice Shelves and Ice Sheets as Assessed from Modeled Surface Air Temperatures Fyke, Jeremy G.; Carter, Lionel; Mackintosh, Andrew Journal of Climate, Vol. 23, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI3122.1	journal	April 2010
Limits in detecting acceleration of ice sheet mass loss due to climate variability Wouters, B.; Bamber, J. L.; van den Broeke, M. R. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 6, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1874	journal	July 2013
A Reconciled Estimate of Ice-Sheet Mass Balance Shepherd, A.; Ivins, E. R.; A., G. Science, Vol. 338, Issue 6111 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1228102	journal	November 2012
Variable relationship between accumulation and temperature in West Antarctica for the past 31,000 years: WDC TEMPERATURE AND ACCUMULATION Fudge, T. J.; Markle, Bradley R.; Cuffey, Kurt M. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068356	journal	April 2016
Mechanisms Forcing an Antarctic Dipole in Simulated Sea Ice and Surface Ocean Conditions Holland, Marika M.; Bitz, Cecilia M.; Hunke, Elizabeth C. Journal of Climate, Vol. 18, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3396.1	journal	June 2005
Interannual variability of the surface mass balance of West Antarctica from ITASE cores and ERA40 reanalyses, 1958–2000 Genthon, C.; Kaspari, S.; Mayewski, P. A. Climate Dynamics, Vol. 24, Issue 7-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-005-0019-2	journal	April 2005
Present-day and future Antarctic ice sheet climate and surface mass balance in the Community Earth System Model Lenaerts, Jan T. M.; Vizcaino, Miren; Fyke, Jeremy Climate Dynamics, Vol. 47, Issue 5-6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2907-4	journal	February 2016
Consistent evidence of increasing Antarctic accumulation with warming Frieler, Katja; Clark, Peter U.; He, Feng Nature Climate Change, Vol. 5, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2574	journal	March 2015
Precipitation pathways for five new ice core sites in Ellsworth Land, West Antarctica Thomas, Elizabeth R.; Bracegirdle, Thomas J. Climate Dynamics, Vol. 44, Issue 7-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2213-6	journal	June 2014
Interannual variation of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from a combined analysis of satellite gravimetry and altimetry data Mémin, A.; Flament, T.; Alizier, B. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 422 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.03.045	journal	July 2015
Sensitivity of Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance to perturbations in sea surface temperature and sea ice cover: a study with the regional climate model MAR Noël, B.; Fettweis, X.; van de Berg, W. J. The Cryosphere, Vol. 8, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1871-2014	journal	January 2014
Regional Antarctic snow accumulation over the past 1000 years Thomas, Elizabeth R.; van Wessem, J. Melchior; Roberts, Jason Climate of the Past, Vol. 13, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1491-2017	journal	January 2017
Interannual Antarctic tropospheric circulation and precipitation variability Genthon, C.; Krinner, G.; Sacchettini, M. Climate Dynamics, Vol. 21, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-003-0329-1	journal	September 2003
A mathematical framework for analysis of water tracers: Part 1: Development of theory and application to the preindustrial mean state: MATRIX FRAMEWORK FOR WATER TRACERS Singh, H. A.; Bitz, C. M.; Nusbaumer, J. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 8, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016MS000649	journal	June 2016
A Comparison of Antarctic Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance from Atmospheric Climate Models and In Situ Observations Wang, Yetang; Ding, Minghu; van Wessem, J. M. Journal of Climate, Vol. 29, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0642.1	journal	July 2016
The Community Earth System Model (CESM) Large Ensemble Project: A Community Resource for Studying Climate Change in the Presence of Internal Climate Variability Kay, J. E.; Deser, C.; Phillips, A. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 96, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00255.1	journal	August 2015
Snowfall in high southern latitudes Bromwich, David H. Reviews of Geophysics, Vol. 26, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/RG026i001p00149	journal	January 1988
Reassessment of the Antarctic surface mass balance using calibrated output of a regional atmospheric climate model van de Berg, W. J.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Reijmer, C. H. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 111, Issue D11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006495	journal	January 2006
The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system Dee, D. P.; Uppala, S. M.; Simmons, A. J. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 137, Issue 656 https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828	journal	April 2011
Investigating the local-scale influence of sea ice on Greenland surface melt Stroeve, Julienne C.; Mioduszewski, John R.; Rennermalm, Asa The Cryosphere, Vol. 11, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2363-2017	journal	January 2017
Snowfall-driven mass change on the East Antarctic ice sheet: MASS INCREASE IN EAST ANTARCTICA Boening, Carmen; Lebsock, Matthew; Landerer, Felix Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 39, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053316	journal	November 2012
A synthesis of the Antarctic surface mass balance during the last 800 yr Frezzotti, M.; Scarchilli, C.; Becagli, S. The Cryosphere, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-303-2013	journal	January 2013
Anthropogenic impact on Antarctic surface mass balance, currently masked by natural variability, to emerge by mid-century Previdi, Michael; Polvani, Lorenzo M. Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 11, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/9/094001	journal	August 2016

Similar Records

Influence of sea-ice anomalies on Antarctic precipitation using source attribution in the Community Earth System Model

Journal Article · Tue Feb 04 00:00:00 EST 2020 · The Cryosphere (Online) · OSTI ID:1408925

Wang, Hailong; Fyke, Jeremy G.; Lenaerts, Jan T. M.; +5 more

Contribution of Atmospheric Rivers to Antarctic Precipitation

Journal Article · Wed Sep 14 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Geophysical Research Letters · OSTI ID:1408925

Maclennan, Michelle L.; Lenaerts, Jan T. M.; Shields, Christine; +1 more

Surface mass balance contributions to acceleration of Antarctic ice mass loss during 2003-2013: ANTARCTIC ICE MASS LOSS ACCELERATION

Journal Article · Fri May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth · OSTI ID:1408925

Seo, Ki-Weon; Wilson, Clark R.; Scambos, Ted; +5 more

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Title: Basin-scale heterogeneity in Antarctic precipitation and its impact on surface mass variability

Citation Formats

References (40)

Similar Records

Related Subjects