Measuring model improvement using surface energy budget process relationships: the impact of a new snow model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Day ◽  
Gabriele Arduini ◽  
Linus Magnusson ◽  
Irina Sandu ◽  
Anton Beljaars ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Energy Exchange ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Skill Scores ◽  
Model Improvement ◽  
The Impact

<p>Energy exchange at the snow-atmosphere interface in winter governs the evolution of temperature at the surface and within the snow, preconditioning the snowpack for melt during spring. This study illustrates a set of diagnostic tools that are useful for evaluating the energy exchange at the Earth surface in a numerical weather prediction model from a process-based perspective using in-situ observations. In particular, a new way to measure model improvement using relationships between different terms in the surface energy budget (SEB) is presented. These process-oriented diagnostics provide a holistic view the realism of the balance of terms in the SEB, ensuring that improvements in headline skill scores, such as 2m temperature, are happening for the right reasons. Correctly capturing such process relationships is a necessary step to achieve reliable weather forecasts.</p><p>These diagnostic techniques are applied to assess the impact of a new multi-layer snow scheme in the ECMWF-Integrated Forecast System at two high-Arctic sites (Summit, Greenland and Sodankylä, Finland). The multi-layer scheme is expected to replace a single layer snow scheme enhancing the 2m temperature forecast accuracy and reliability across the northern hemisphere in boreal winter. </p>

scholarly journals Measuring the impact of a new snow model using surface energy budget process relationships

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Day ◽  
Gabriele Arduini ◽  
Irina Sandu ◽  
Linus Magnusson ◽  
Anton Beljaars ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Snow Model ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Near-surface climate and surface energy budget of Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kuipers Munneke ◽  
M. R. van den Broeke ◽  
J. C. King ◽  
T. Gray ◽  
C. H. Reijmer
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Data collected by two automatic weather stations (AWS) on the Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica, between 22 January 2009 and 1 February 2011 are analyzed and used as input for a model that computes the surface energy budget (SEB), which includes melt energy. The two AWSs are separated by about 70 km in the north–south direction, and both the near-surface meteorology and the SEB show similarities, although small differences in all components (most notably the melt flux) can be seen. The impact of subsurface absorption of shortwave radiation on melt and snow temperature is significant, and discussed. In winter, longwave cooling of the surface is entirely compensated by a downward turbulent transport of sensible heat. In summer, the positive net radiative flux is compensated by melt, and quite frequently by upward turbulent diffusion of heat and moisture, leading to sublimation and weak convection over the ice shelf. The month of November 2010 is highlighted, when strong westerly flow over the Antarctic Peninsula led to a dry and warm föhn wind over the ice shelf, resulting in warm and sunny conditions. Under these conditions the increase in shortwave and sensible heat fluxes is larger than the decrease of net longwave and latent heat fluxes, providing energy for significant melt.

scholarly journals Atmospheric Drivers of Melt on Larsen C Ice Shelf: Surface Energy Budget Regimes and the Impact of Foehn

2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Elvidge ◽  
Peter Kuipers Munneke ◽  
John C. King ◽  
Ian A. Renfrew ◽  
Ella Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Atmospheric Drivers of Melt on Larsen C Ice Shelf: Surface Energy Budget Regimes and the Impact of Foehn

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Elvidge ◽  
Peter Kuipers Munneke ◽  
John King ◽  
Ian Renfrew ◽  
Ella Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
The Impact

<p>Recent ice shelf retreat on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula has been principally attributed to atmospherically driven melt. However, previous studies on the largest of these ice shelves—Larsen C—have struggled to reconcile atmospheric forcing with observed melt. This study provides the first comprehensive quantification and explanation of the atmospheric drivers of melt across Larsen C, using 31‐months' worth of observations from Cabinet Inlet, a 6‐month, high‐resolution atmospheric model simulation and a novel approach to ascertain the surface energy budget (SEB) regime. The dominant meteorological controls on melt are shown to be the occurrence, strength, and warmth of mountain winds called foehn. At Cabinet Inlet, foehn occurs 15% of the time and causes 45% of melt. The primary effect of foehn on the SEB is elevated turbulent heat fluxes. Under typical, warm foehn conditions, this means elevated surface heating and melting, the intensity of which increases as foehn wind speed increases. Less commonly—due to cooler‐than‐normal foehn winds and/or radiatively warmed ice—the relationship between wind speed and net surface heat flux reverses. This explains the seemingly contradictory results of previous studies. In the model, spatial variability in cumulative melt across Larsen C is largely explained by foehn, with melt maxima in inlets reflecting maxima in foehn wind strength. However, most accumulated melt (58%) occurs due to solar radiation in the absence of foehn. A broad north‐south gradient in melt is explained by the combined influence of foehn and non‐foehn conditions.</p>

scholarly journals Sensitivity of the surface energy budget to drifting snow as simulated by MAR in coastal Adelie Land, Antarctica

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Le Toumelin ◽  
Charles Amory ◽  
Vincent Favier ◽  
Christoph Kittel ◽  
Stefan Hofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Surface Atmosphere ◽  
Drifting Snow ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. In order to understand the evolution of the climate of Antarctica, dominant processes that control surface and low-atmosphere meteorology need to be accurately captured in climate models. We used the regional climate model MAR (v3.11) at 10 km horizontal resolution, forced by ERA5 reanalysis over a 9-year period (2010–2018), to study the impact of drifting snow (designing here the wind-driven transport of snow particles below and above 2 m) on the near-surface atmosphere and surface in Adelie Land, East Antarctica. Two model runs were performed, respectively with and without drifting snow, and compared to half-hourly in situ observations at D17, a coastal and windy location of Adelie Land. We show that sublimation of drifting-snow particles in the atmosphere drives the difference between model runs and is responsible for significant impacts on the near-surface atmosphere. By cooling the low atmosphere and increasing its relative humidity, drifting snow also reduces sensible and latent heat exchanges at the surface (−5.9 W m−2 on average). Moreover, large and dense drifting-snow layers act as near-surface cloud by interacting with incoming radiative fluxes, enhancing incoming longwave radiations and reducing incoming shortwave radiations in summer (net radiative forcing: 5.9 W m−2). Even if drifting snow modifies these processes involved in surface-atmosphere interactions, the total surface energy budget is only slightly modified by introducing drifting snow, because of compensating effects in surface energy fluxes. The drifting-snow driven effects are not prominent near the surface but peak higher in the boundary layer (fifth vertical level, 38 m) where drifting snow sublimation is the most pronounced. Accounting for drifting snow in MAR generally improves the comparison at D17, more especially for the representation of relative humidity (mean bias reduced from −11.1 % to 2.9 %) and incoming longwave radiation (mean bias reduced from −7.6 W m−2 to −1.5 W m−2). Consequently, our results suggest that a detailed representation of drifting-snow processes is required in climate models to better capture the near–surface meteorology and surface–atmosphere interactions in coastal Adelie Land.

scholarly journals Near-surface climate and surface energy budget of Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 2665-2697
Author(s):  
P. Kuipers Munneke ◽  
M. R. van den Broeke ◽  
J. C. King ◽  
T. Gray ◽  
C. H. Reijmer
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Data collected by two automatic weather stations (AWS) on the Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica, between 22 January 2009 and 1 February 2011 are analyzed and used as input for a model that computes the surface energy budget (SEB), including melt energy. The two AWSs are separated by about 70 km in the north-south direction, and both the near-surface meteorology and the SEB show similarities, although small differences in all components (most notably the melt flux) can be seen. The impact of subsurface absorption of shortwave radiation on melt and snow temperature is significant, and discussed. In winter, longwave cooling of the surface is entirely compensated by a downward turbulent transport of sensible heat. In summer, the positive net radiative flux is compensated by melt, and quite frequently by upward turbulent diffusion of heat and moisture, leading to sublimation and weak convection over the ice shelf. The month of November 2010 is highlighted, when strong westerly flow over the Antarctic Peninsula led to a dry and warm föhn wind over the ice shelf, resulting in warm and sunny conditions. Under these conditions the increase in shortwave and sensible heat fluxes is larger than the reduction of net longwave and latent heat fluxes, providing energy for significant melt.

scholarly journals Separating the Impact of Individual Land Surface Properties on the Terrestrial Surface Energy Budget in both the Coupled and Uncoupled Land–Atmosphere System

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (18) ◽  
pp. 5725-5744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marysa M. Laguë ◽  
Gordon B. Bonan ◽  
Abigail L. S. Swann
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Surface Properties ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Evaporative Resistance ◽  
Atmospheric Feedbacks ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Changes in the land surface can drive large responses in the atmosphere on local, regional, and global scales. Surface properties control the partitioning of energy within the surface energy budget to fluxes of shortwave and longwave radiation, sensible and latent heat, and ground heat storage. Changes in surface energy fluxes can impact the atmosphere across scales through changes in temperature, cloud cover, and large-scale atmospheric circulation. We test the sensitivity of the atmosphere to global changes in three land surface properties: albedo, evaporative resistance, and surface roughness. We show the impact of changing these surface properties differs drastically between simulations run with an offline land model, compared to coupled land–atmosphere simulations that allow for atmospheric feedbacks associated with land–atmosphere coupling. Atmospheric feedbacks play a critical role in defining the temperature response to changes in albedo and evaporative resistance, particularly in the extratropics. More than 50% of the surface temperature response to changing albedo comes from atmospheric feedbacks in over 80% of land areas. In some regions, cloud feedbacks in response to increased evaporative resistance result in nearly 1 K of additional surface warming. In contrast, the magnitude of surface temperature responses to changes in vegetation height are comparable between offline and coupled simulations. We improve our fundamental understanding of how and why changes in vegetation cover drive responses in the atmosphere, and develop understanding of the role of individual land surface properties in controlling climate across spatial scales—critical to understanding the effects of land-use change on Earth’s climate.

scholarly journals Measuring the Impact of a New Snow Model Using Surface Energy Budget Process Relationships

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Day ◽  
Gabriele Arduini ◽  
Irina Sandu ◽  
Linus Magnusson ◽  
Anton Beljaars ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
Snow Model ◽  
The Impact
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