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Title: Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica

Abstract

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 onmore » 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.« less

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [5];  [6]
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  1. Univ. of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
  2. Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Hampton, VA (United States)
  3. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  4. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
  5. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
  6. Univ. of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Madison Area Technical College, Madison, WI (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1787818
Report Number(s):
BNL-221601-2021-JAAM
Journal ID: ISSN 1994-0424
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0012704; SC0017981; 80NSSC18K1025; OPP-1924730
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
The Cryosphere (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: The Cryosphere (Online); Journal Volume: 15; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1994-0424
Publisher:
Copernicus Publications, EGU
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Ghiz, Madison L., Scott, Ryan C., Vogelmann, Andrew M., Lenaerts, Jan T. M., Lazzara, Matthew, and Lubin, Dan. Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica. United States: N. p., 2021. Web. doi:10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021.
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Ghiz, Madison L., Scott, Ryan C., Vogelmann, Andrew M., Lenaerts, Jan T. M., Lazzara, Matthew, & Lubin, Dan. Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica. United States. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021
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Ghiz, Madison L., Scott, Ryan C., Vogelmann, Andrew M., Lenaerts, Jan T. M., Lazzara, Matthew, and Lubin, Dan. Mon . "Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica". United States. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1787818.
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@article{osti_1787818,
title = {Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica},
author = {Ghiz, Madison L. and Scott, Ryan C. and Vogelmann, Andrew M. and Lenaerts, Jan T. M. and Lazzara, Matthew and Lubin, Dan},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021},
journal = {The Cryosphere (Online)},
number = 7,
volume = 15,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jul 26 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Mon Jul 26 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
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