Unraveling driving forces explaining significant reduction in satellite-inferred Arctic surface albedo since the 1980s
Abstract
The Arctic has warmed significantly since the early 1980s and much of this warming can be attributed to the surface albedo feedback. In this study, satellite observations reveal a 1.25 to 1.51% per decade absolute reduction in the Arctic mean surface albedo in spring and summer during 1982 to 2014. Results from a global model and reanalysis data are used to unravel the causes of this albedo reduction. We find that reductions of terrestrial snow cover, snow cover fraction over sea ice, and sea ice extent appear to contribute equally to the Arctic albedo decline. We show that the decrease in snow cover fraction is primarily driven by the increase in surface air temperature, followed by declining snowfall. Although the total precipitation has increased as the Arctic warms, Arctic snowfall is reduced substantially in all analyzed data sets. Light-absorbing soot in snow has been decreasing in past decades over the Arctic, indicating that soot heating has not been the driver of changes in the Arctic snow cover, ice cover, and surface albedo since the 1980s.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1574028
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1577972
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-144749
Journal ID: ISSN 0027-8424
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Volume: 116 Journal Issue: 48; Journal ID: ISSN 0027-8424
- Publisher:
- National Academy of Sciences
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Arctic amplification; albedo reduction; snow cover; sea ice; soot
Citation Formats
Zhang, Rudong, Wang, Hailong, Fu, Qiang, Rasch, Philip J., and Wang, Xuanji. Unraveling driving forces explaining significant reduction in satellite-inferred Arctic surface albedo since the 1980s. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1073/pnas.1915258116.
Zhang, Rudong, Wang, Hailong, Fu, Qiang, Rasch, Philip J., & Wang, Xuanji. Unraveling driving forces explaining significant reduction in satellite-inferred Arctic surface albedo since the 1980s. United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915258116
Zhang, Rudong, Wang, Hailong, Fu, Qiang, Rasch, Philip J., and Wang, Xuanji. Mon .
"Unraveling driving forces explaining significant reduction in satellite-inferred Arctic surface albedo since the 1980s". United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915258116.
@article{osti_1574028,
title = {Unraveling driving forces explaining significant reduction in satellite-inferred Arctic surface albedo since the 1980s},
author = {Zhang, Rudong and Wang, Hailong and Fu, Qiang and Rasch, Philip J. and Wang, Xuanji},
abstractNote = {The Arctic has warmed significantly since the early 1980s and much of this warming can be attributed to the surface albedo feedback. In this study, satellite observations reveal a 1.25 to 1.51% per decade absolute reduction in the Arctic mean surface albedo in spring and summer during 1982 to 2014. Results from a global model and reanalysis data are used to unravel the causes of this albedo reduction. We find that reductions of terrestrial snow cover, snow cover fraction over sea ice, and sea ice extent appear to contribute equally to the Arctic albedo decline. We show that the decrease in snow cover fraction is primarily driven by the increase in surface air temperature, followed by declining snowfall. Although the total precipitation has increased as the Arctic warms, Arctic snowfall is reduced substantially in all analyzed data sets. Light-absorbing soot in snow has been decreasing in past decades over the Arctic, indicating that soot heating has not been the driver of changes in the Arctic snow cover, ice cover, and surface albedo since the 1980s.},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1915258116},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
number = 48,
volume = 116,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Nov 11 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Mon Nov 11 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915258116
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