Projected decline in spring snow depth on Arctic sea ice caused by progressively later autumn open ocean freeze‐up this century

Hezel, Paul; Zhang, X.; Bitz, Cecilia M.; Kelly, Brendan P.; Massonnet, François

doi:10.1029/2012gl052794

Cited by 106 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…These snow conditions differ substantially across the models ( [45]; figure 13b), with some models retaining appreciable snow during the summer months in contrast to observations (e.g. [46]).…”

Section: Results From Other Climate Modelsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Factors affecting projected Arctic surface shortwave heating and albedo change in coupled climate models

Holland

Landrum

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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One contribution of 9 to a discussion meeting issue 'Arctic sea ice reduction: the evidence, models and impacts (part 1)' . We use a large ensemble of simulations from the Community Earth System Model to quantify simulated changes in the twentieth and twenty-first century Arctic surface shortwave heating associated with changing incoming solar radiation and changing ice conditions. For increases in shortwave absorption associated with albedo reductions, the relative influence of changing sea ice surface properties and changing sea ice areal coverage is assessed. Changes in the surface sea ice properties are associated with an earlier melt season onset, a longer snow-free season and enhanced surface ponding. Because many of these changes occur during peak solar insolation, they have a considerable influence on Arctic surface shortwave heating that is comparable to the influence of ice area loss in the early twenty-first century. As ice area loss continues through the twenty-first century, it overwhelms the influence of changes in the sea ice surface state, and is responsible for a majority of the net shortwave increases by the mid-twenty-first century. A comparison with the Arctic surface albedo and shortwave heating in CMIP5 models indicates a large spread in projected twenty-first century change. This is in part related to different ice loss rates among the models and different representations of the late twentieth century ice albedo and associated sea ice surface state.

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Section: Results From Other Climate Modelsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Factors affecting projected Arctic surface shortwave heating and albedo change in coupled climate models

Holland

Landrum

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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“…There was good agreement between the IceBridge and modeled snow depth distributions in the western Arctic, both in space and magnitude. The 2009-2013 IceBridge average was 22.2 6 1.9 cm, while the modeled 1981-2000 and 2081-2100 averages were 28 6 7 cm and 16 6 5 cm, respectively [Hezel et al, 2012].…”

Section: Climatologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Kurtz and Farrell [2011] modeling study by Hezel et al [2012] projected snow depths on Arctic sea ice using the first-order effects of sea ice freezeup dates and precipitation rates. There was good agreement between the IceBridge and modeled snow depth distributions in the western Arctic, both in space and magnitude.…”

Section: Climatologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The trend in sea ice extent is decreasing at an accelerated rate [Stroeve et al, 2012], and there has been a shift from thick, multiyear ice to a thinner, younger sea ice regime Kwok and Rothrock, 2009;Maslanik et al, 2011]. This shift has profoundly affected the state of Arctic sea ice, which has become more dynamic and susceptible to melt, changing the ice volume [Laxon et al, 2013], ocean heat flux , surface albedo , and snow cover [Hezel et al, 2012].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interdecadal changes in snow depth on Arctic sea ice

et al. 2014

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Snow plays a key role in the growth and decay of Arctic sea ice. In winter, it insulates sea ice from cold air temperatures, slowing sea ice growth. From spring to summer, the albedo of snow determines how much insolation is absorbed by the sea ice and underlying ocean, impacting ice melt processes. Knowledge of the contemporary snow depth distribution is essential for estimating sea ice thickness and volume, and for understanding and modeling sea ice thermodynamics in the changing Arctic. This study assesses spring snow depth distribution on Arctic sea ice using airborne radar observations from Operation IceBridge for 2009-2013. Data were validated using coordinated in situ measurements taken in March 2012 during the Bromine, Ozone, and Mercury Experiment (BROMEX) field campaign. We find a correlation of 0.59 and root-mean-square error of 5.8 cm between the airborne and in situ data. Using this relationship and IceBridge snow thickness products, we compared the recent results with data from the 1937, 1954-1991 Soviet drifting ice stations. The comparison shows thinning of the snowpack, from 35.1 6 9.4 to 22.2 6 1.9 cm in the western Arctic, and from 32.8 6 9.4 to 14.5 6 1.9 cm in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. These changes suggest a snow depth decline of 37 6 29% in the western Arctic and 56 6 33% in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Thinning is negatively correlated with the delayed onset of sea ice freezeup during autumn.

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“…As a result of the decreased length of the sea ice season, snow depth on Arctic sea ice is decreasing (Hezel et al, 2012) so sea ice temperatures could also fluctuate with air temperature 390 if the insulating effect of snow is less pronounced, such as the decreasing ice temperature in the snow cleared area at Station Nord. In this area, ikaite concentrations increased, indicating that ikaite could continuously precipitate and dissolve with temperature fluctuations throughout the winter, which could potentially enhance CO 2 fluxes during the winter months .…”

Section: Influence Of Ikaite In Ice Covered Seasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of calcium carbonate (ikaite) in first– and multi–year sea ice

Kyle

Rysgaard

Wang

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Ikaite (CaCO 3 •6H 2 O) is a metastable calcium carbonate mineral that forms at low temperature and/or high pressure. 20Ikaite precipitates in sea ice and may play a significant role in air-sea CO 2 exchange in ice covered seas and oceans.However, the spatial and temporal dynamics of ikaite in sea ice are poorly understood due to few available measurements and time consuming analytical techniques. Here, we present a new method for quantifying ikaite in sea ice and compare it with a more time-consuming imaging technique currently in use. In short, sea ice cores were melted at low temperatures (<4°C), filtered for ikaite crystals that subsequently were dissolved and analyzed as 25 dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The new method was applied on cores from experimental sea ice in Winnipeg ice algae were present. The higher abundance of ikaite in young first-year sea ice indicates that its concentrations will likely increase in the Arctic as a result of the recent rapid decline of the multi-year ice cover and increasing presence of seasonal sea ice. As a result, it is likely that ikaite will play a more significant role in air-sea CO 2 exchange in ice-covered seas in the future.

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Projected decline in spring snow depth on Arctic sea ice caused by progressively later autumn open ocean freeze‐up this century

Cited by 106 publications

References 26 publications

Factors affecting projected Arctic surface shortwave heating and albedo change in coupled climate models

Factors affecting projected Arctic surface shortwave heating and albedo change in coupled climate models

Interdecadal changes in snow depth on Arctic sea ice

Quantification of calcium carbonate (ikaite) in first– and multi–year sea ice

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