Exploring and reducing biases in sub-ice-shelf melt rates in an Earth system model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xylar Asay-Davis ◽  
Carolyn Begeman ◽  
Darin Comeau ◽  
Matthew Hoffman ◽  
Wuyin Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
System Model ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ocean Properties ◽  
The Antarctic

<p>Sub-ice-shelf melting plays a critical role in the dynamics of the Antarctic Ice  Sheet and also feeds back on the regional climate, transforming ocean properties (e.g., affecting deep-water production and sea-ice formation).  A full understanding of these processes, as well as the ability to project their response to a changing climate, requires Earth System Models (ESMs) that include coupling with ice-sheet processes.  However, biases in regional Antarctic climate can be amplified through sub-ice-shelf melting, and biased melt rates can have significant adverse effects on ice-sheet model initialization and evolution.  In preparation for inclusion of dynamic ice sheets in ESMs, this presentation discusses our recent experience in understanding the causes of biases in ocean properties on the Antarctic continental shelf and their relationship to ice-shelf melting.  Differences in model behavior across configurations and simulations using the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) demonstrates a sensitivity of melt rates to climate. We assess the sensitivity of those melt rates to changes in the region’s climate, including freshening on the continental shelf and shoaling of the thermocline. We also show that ice-shelf meltwater feeds back onto the climate, for example, by affecting melting under neighboring ice shelves, sometimes dramatically so.  We demonstrate that significant reductions in melt-rate biases can be achieved through modifications to ocean model mixing parameterizations. This work charts a path forward for configuring ESMs to produce realistic Antarctic melt rates.</p>

Ice-shelf Basal Melt Rates in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darin Comeau ◽  
Xylar Asay-Davis ◽  
Carolyn Begeman ◽  
Matthew Hoffman ◽  
Wuyin Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
System Model ◽  
Freshwater Flux ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
The Antarctic

<p>The processes responsible for freshwater flux from the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) -- ice-shelf basal melting and iceberg calving -- are generally poorly represented in current Earth System Models (ESMs). Here, we document the first effort to date at simulating the ocean circulation and exchanges of heat and freshwater within ice-shelf cavities in a coupled ESM, the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM). As a step towards full ice-sheet coupling, we implemented static Antarctic ice-shelf cavities and the ability to calculate ice-shelf basal melt rates from the heat and freshwater fluxes computed by the ocean model. In addition, we added the capability to prescribe forcing from iceberg melt, allowing us to realistically represent the other dominant mass loss process from the AIS. In global, low resolution (i.e., non-eddying ocean) simulations, we find high sensitivity of modeled ocean/ice shelf interactions to the ocean state, which can result in a tipping point to high melt regimes under certain ice shelves, presenting a significant challenge to representing the ocean/ice shelf system in a coupled ESM. We show that inclusion of a spatially dependent parameterization of eddy-induced transport reduces biases in water mass properties on the Antarctic continental shelf. With these improvements, E3SM produces realistic and stable ice-shelf basal melt rates across the continent under pre-industrial climate forcing. We also show preliminary results using an ocean/sea-ice grid that makes use of E3SM’s regional-refinement capability, where increased resolution (down to 12km) is placed in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, bypassing the need for parameterization of eddy-induced transport in this region. The accurate representation of these processes within a coupled ESM is an important step towards reducing uncertainties in projections of the Antarctic response to climate change and Antarctica's contribution to global sea-level rise.</p>

scholarly journals Mechanisms and time scales of glacial inception simulated with an Earth system model of intermediate complexity

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Calov ◽  
A. Ganopolski ◽  
C. Kubatzki ◽  
M. Claussen
Keyword(s):  
Transient Response ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
System Model ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Intermediate Complexity ◽  
Transient Simulations ◽  
Ice Sheet Dynamics ◽  
Inland Ice ◽  
Equilibrium Simulation

Abstract. We investigate glacial inception and glacial thresholds in the climate-cryosphere system utilising the Earth system model of intermediate complexity CLIMBER-2, which includes modules for atmosphere, terrestrial vegetation, ocean and interactive ice sheets. The latter are described by the three-dimensional polythermal ice-sheet model SICOPOLIS. A bifurcation which represents glacial inception is analysed with two different model setups: one setup with dynamical ice-sheet model and another setup without it. The respective glacial thresholds differ in terms of maximum boreal summer insolation at 65° N (hereafter referred as Milankovitch forcing (MF)). The glacial threshold of the configuration without ice-sheet dynamics corresponds to a much lower value of MF compared to the full model. If MF attains values only slightly below the aforementioned threshold there is fast transient response. Depending on the value of MF relative to the glacial threshold, the transient response time of inland-ice volume in the model configuration with ice-sheet dynamics ranges from 10 000 to 100 000 years. Due to these long response times, a glacial threshold obtained in an equilibrium simulation is not directly applicable to the transient response of the climate-cryosphere system to time-dependent orbital forcing. It is demonstrated that in transient simulations just crossing of the glacial threshold does not imply large-scale glaciation of the Northern Hemisphere. We found that in transient simulations MF has to drop well below the glacial threshold determined in an equilibrium simulation to initiate glacial inception. Finally, we show that the asynchronous coupling between climate and inland-ice components allows one sufficient realistic simulation of glacial inception and, at the same time, a considerable reduction of computational costs.

scholarly journals MPAS-Albany Land Ice (MALI): A variable resolution ice sheet model for Earth system modeling using Voronoi grids

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Hoffman ◽  
Mauro Perego ◽  
Stephen F. Price ◽  
William H. Lipscomb ◽  
Douglas Jacobsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
Coupled Systems ◽  
System Model ◽  
Type Model ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Variable Resolution ◽  
Horizontal Advection ◽  
First Order

Abstract. We introduce MPAS-Albany Land Ice (MALI), a new, variable resolution land ice model that uses unstructured Voronoi grids on a plane or sphere. MALI is built using the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) framework for developing variable resolution Earth System Model components and the Albany multi-physics code base for solution of coupled systems of partial-differential equations, which itself makes use of Trilinos solver libraries. MALI includes a three-dimensional, first-order momentum balance solver ("Blatter-Pattyn") by linking to the Albany-LI ice sheet velocity solver, as well as an explicit shallow ice velocity solver. Evolution of ice geometry and tracers is handled through an explicit first-order horizontal advection scheme with vertical remapping. Evolution of ice temperature is treated using operator splitting of vertical diffusion and horizontal advection and can be configured to use either a temperature or enthalpy formulation. MALI includes a mass-conserving subglacial hydrology model that supports distributed and/or channelized drainage and can optionally be coupled to ice dynamics. Options for calving include "eigencalving", which assumes calving rate is proportional to extensional strain rates. MALI is evaluated against commonly used exact solutions and community benchmark experiments and shows the expected accuracy. We report first results for the MISMIP3d benchmark experiments for a Blatter-Pattyn type model and show that results fall in-between those of models using Stokes flow and L1L2 approximations. We use the model to simulate a semi-realistic Antarctic Ice Sheet problem for 1100 years at 20 km resolution. MALI is the glacier component of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) version 1, and we describe current and planned coupling to other components.

scholarly journals Incorporation of ice sheet models into an Earth system model: Focus on methodology of coupling

2018 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Rybak ◽  
Evgeny Volodin ◽  
Polina Morozova ◽  
Artiom Nevecherja
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
System Model ◽  
Earth System

scholarly journals Greenland Surface Mass Balance as Simulated by the Community Earth System Model. Part II: Twenty-First-Century Changes

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miren Vizcaíno ◽  
William H. Lipscomb ◽  
William J. Sacks ◽  
Michiel van den Broeke
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
First Century ◽  
System Model ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Community Earth System Model ◽  
Twenty First Century

Abstract This study presents the first twenty-first-century projections of surface mass balance (SMB) changes for the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) with the Community Earth System Model (CESM), which includes a new ice sheet component. For glaciated surfaces, CESM includes a sophisticated calculation of energy fluxes, surface albedo, and snowpack hydrology (melt, percolation, refreezing, etc.). To efficiently resolve the high SMB gradients at the ice sheet margins and provide surface forcing at the scale needed by ice sheet models, the SMB is calculated at multiple elevations and interpolated to a finer 5-km ice sheet grid. During a twenty-first-century simulation driven by representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) forcing, the SMB decreases from 372 ± 100 Gt yr−1 in 1980–99 to −78 ± 143 Gt yr−1 in 2080–99. The 2080–99 near-surface temperatures over the GIS increase by 4.7 K (annual mean) with respect to 1980–99, only 1.3 times the global increase (+3.7 K). Snowfall increases by 18%, while surface melt doubles. The ablation area increases from 9% of the GIS in 1980–99 to 28% in 2080–99. Over the ablation areas, summer downward longwave radiation and turbulent fluxes increase, while incoming shortwave radiation decreases owing to increased cloud cover. The reduction in GIS-averaged July albedo from 0.78 in 1980–99 to 0.75 in 2080–99 increases the absorbed solar radiation in this month by 12%. Summer warming is strongest in the north and east of Greenland owing to reduced sea ice cover. In the ablation area, summer temperature increases are smaller due to frequent periods of surface melt.

scholarly journals MPAS-Albany Land Ice (MALI): a variable-resolution ice sheet model for Earth system modeling using Voronoi grids

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 3747-3780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Hoffman ◽  
Mauro Perego ◽  
Stephen F. Price ◽  
William H. Lipscomb ◽  
Tong Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
Coupled Systems ◽  
System Model ◽  
Momentum Balance ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
Variable Resolution ◽  
Horizontal Advection ◽  
First Order

Abstract. We introduce MPAS-Albany Land Ice (MALI) v6.0, a new variable-resolution land ice model that uses unstructured Voronoi grids on a plane or sphere. MALI is built using the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) framework for developing variable-resolution Earth system model components and the Albany multi-physics code base for the solution of coupled systems of partial differential equations, which itself makes use of Trilinos solver libraries. MALI includes a three-dimensional first-order momentum balance solver (Blatter–Pattyn) by linking to the Albany-LI ice sheet velocity solver and an explicit shallow ice velocity solver. The evolution of ice geometry and tracers is handled through an explicit first-order horizontal advection scheme with vertical remapping. The evolution of ice temperature is treated using operator splitting of vertical diffusion and horizontal advection and can be configured to use either a temperature or enthalpy formulation. MALI includes a mass-conserving subglacial hydrology model that supports distributed and/or channelized drainage and can optionally be coupled to ice dynamics. Options for calving include “eigencalving”, which assumes that the calving rate is proportional to extensional strain rates. MALI is evaluated against commonly used exact solutions and community benchmark experiments and shows the expected accuracy. Results for the MISMIP3d benchmark experiments with MALI's Blatter–Pattyn solver fall between published results from Stokes and L1L2 models as expected. We use the model to simulate a semi-realistic Antarctic ice sheet problem following the initMIP protocol and using 2 km resolution in marine ice sheet regions. MALI is the glacier component of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) version 1, and we describe current and planned coupling to other E3SM components.

scholarly journals Calculation of mass discharge of the Greenland ice sheet in the Earth System Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. O. Rybak ◽  
E. M. Volodin ◽  
A. P. Nevecherya ◽  
P. A. Morozova ◽  
M. M. Кaminskaya
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
System Model ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Mass Discharge

scholarly journals Explicit and parametrised representation of under ice shelf seas in a z<sup>*</sup> coordinate ocean model

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Mathiot ◽  
Adrian Jenkins ◽  
Christopher Harris ◽  
Gurvan Madec
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Antarctic Continental Shelf ◽  
Shelf Seas ◽  
Ocean Properties ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. Ice shelf/ocean interactions are a major source of fresh water on the Antarctic continental shelf and have a strong impact on ocean properties, ocean circulation and sea ice. However, climate models based on the ocean/sea ice model NEMO currently do not include these interactions in any detail. The capability of explicitly simulating the circulation beneath ice shelves is introduced in the non-linear free surface model NEMO. Its implementation into the NEMO framework and its assessment in an idealised and realistic circum-Antarctic configuration is described in this study. Compared with the current prescription of ice shelf melting (i.e. at the surface) inclusion of open sub-ice-shelf leads to a decrease sea ice thickness along the coast, a weakening of the ocean stratification on the shelf, a decrease in salinity of HSSW on the Ross and Weddell Sea shelves and an increase in the strength of the gyres that circulate within the over-deepened basins on the West Antarctic continental shelf. Mimicking the under ice shelf seas overturning circulation by introducing the meltwater over the depth range of the ice shelf base, rather than at the surface is also tested. It yields similar improvements in the simulated ocean properties and circulation over the Antarctic continental shelf than the explicit ice shelf cavity representation. With the ice shelf cavities opened, the widely-used “3 equations” ice shelf melting formulation enables an interactive computation of melting that has been assessed. Comparison with observational estimates of ice shelf melting indicates realistic results for most ice shelves. However, melting rates for Amery, Getz and George VI ice shelves are considerably overestimated.

Simulation of LGM ice sheets with the Community Earth System Model version 2 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L Bradley ◽  
Michele Petrini ◽  
Raymond Sellevold ◽  
Miren Vizcaino ◽  
William H. Lipscomb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
System Model ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
Model Version ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Community Earth System Model ◽  
The Last Deglaciation

&lt;p&gt;The last deglaciation provides as unique a framework to investigate the processes of ice sheet and climate interaction during periods of mass loss as in the current climate. Here we simulate the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) northern hemisphere ice sheets climate, surface mass balance (SMB), and dynamics with the Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2, Danabasoglu et al., 2020)) and the Community Ice Sheet Model version 2 (CISM2, Lipscomb et al., 2019). This LGM simulation will be later used as starting point for coupled CESM2-CISM2 simulations of the last deglaciation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CESM2 is run at the nominal resolution used for IPCC-type projections (approx. 1 degree for all components). The model includes an advanced snow/firn and SMB calculation (van Kampenhout et al, 2019; Sellevold et al, 2019) the land component (CLM, cite) that has been evaluated and applied to the simulation of the future Greenland melt (van Kampenhout et al, 2020, Muntjewerf et al., 2020a,b, Sellevold &amp; Vizcaino, 2020).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our analysis examines how the global, Arctic, and North Atlantic climate result in the simulated radiative and turbulent heat fluxes over the ice sheets, and the mass fluxes from precipitation, refreezing, runoff, and sublimation. We also examine the simulated ice streams in CISM2, which is run at 8 km under a higher-order approximation for ice flow.&lt;/p&gt;

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