The Processes-Based Attributes of Four Major Surface Melting Events over the Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf

Li, Wenyi; Wu, Yuting; Hu, Xiaoming

doi:10.1007/s00376-023-2287-3

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In contrast to the direct effect induced by warm-dry spells on extra-polar lands, the occurrence of warm-wet events may lead to more complex and farer-reaching climate impacts. These events may amplify the vulnerability of ice sheets through extra melting and destabilization of coastal ice, leading to significant ice mass loss and freshwater inflow into the oceans (Hu et al, 2019;Li et al, 2023). Ultimately, these processes contribute to accelerated sea level rise (DeConto & Pollard, 2016;Rignot et al, 2011) manuscript submitted to Geophysical Research Letters and weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Bakker et al, 2016;Gao et al, 2024;Zhu et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deciphering the Shift from Warm-Dry to Warm-Wet Events in Ice-Covered and Non-Ice-Covered Regions

Chen,

Xu,

Yang

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Compound warm events exert profound impacts on environment, health, and socioeconomics. A recent study indicated a shift or transition from warm-dry events (WDEs), common in non-ice-covered areas, to warm-wet events (WWEs) in ice-covered zones. Utilizing ERA5 reanalysis data, this study determined the duration and frequency of WDEs and WWEs across ice-covered and non-ice-covered regions. A comprehensive analysis uncovers the physical mechanisms responsible for this shift and attributes it to the weakening of land-atmosphere interaction caused by ice-cover, which inhibits soil moisture feedback and reduces the intensity and duration of warm events in ice-covered areas. Both WDEs and WWEs are associated with high-pressure systems (HPs). WDEs, situated directly beneath HPs, intensify due to adiabatic warming from subsidence motions. Conversely, WWEs, located beneath the poleward fringes of HPs, emerge from advective warming and moistening associated with poleward intrusions of warm-moist air.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deciphering the Shift from Warm-Dry to Warm-Wet Events in Ice-Covered and Non-Ice-Covered Regions

Chen,

Xu,

Yang

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Here we investigate the benefits of applying the sophisticated offline coupled firn model described by Langen et al (2017) that represents key aspects such as the melt-albedo feedback to improve regional atmospheric model simulations of a prolonged and extensive episode of surface melt that occurred during January 2016 over the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS), West Antarctica. The RIS frequently experiences major surface melt events due to both synoptic-and local-scale processes (Nicolas et al, 2017;Zou et al, 2021;Li et al, 2023;Orr et al, 2023), with this particular event attributed to an influx of warm and moist marine air, likely linked to a concurrent strong El Niño episode (Nicolas et al, 2017). The regional atmospheric model simulations examined were initially produced for Antarctic CORDEX (Antarctic COordinated Regional Downscaling EXperiment), and are based on HIRHAM version 5 (HIRHAM5) and MetUM version 11.1 (Orr et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of cloud phase when assessing surface melting in an offline coupled firn model over Ross Ice shelf, West Antarctica

Hansen,

Orr,

Zou

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. The Ross Ice Shelf, West Antarctica, experienced an extensive melt event in January 2016. We examine the representation of this event by the HIRHAM5 and MetUM high-resolution regional atmospheric models, as well as a sophisticated offline coupled firn model forced with their outputs. The model results are compared with satellite-based estimates of melt days. The firn model estimates of the number of melt days are in good agreement with the observations over the eastern and central sectors of the ice shelf, while the HIRHAM5 and MetUM estimates based on their own surface schemes are considerably underestimated, possibly due to deficiencies in these schemes and an absence of spin-up. However, the firn model simulates sustained melting over the western sector of the ice shelf, in disagreement with the observations that show this region as being melt-free. This is attributed to deficiencies in the HIRHAM5 and MetUM output, and particularly a likely overestimation of nighttime net surface radiative flux. This occurs in response to an increase in nighttime downwelling longwave flux from around 180–200 W m-2 to 280 W m-2 over the course of a few days, leading to an excessive amount of energy at the surface available for melt. Satellite-based observations show that this change coincides with a transition from clear-sky conditions to clouds containing both liquid-water and ice-water. The models capture the initial clear-sky conditions but seemingly struggle to correctly represent the ice-to-liquid mass partitioning associated with the cloudy conditions, which we suggest is responsible for the radiative flux errors.

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Deciphering the Prevalence of Warm‐Wet Extremes in Ice‐Covered Zones

Chen,

Xu,

Yang

et al. 2024

Geophysical Research Letters

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Compound warm extremes exert profound impacts on environment, health, and socioeconomics. Yang et al. (2024) indicated a shift or transition from warm‐dry extremes (WDEs), common in non‐ice‐covered areas, to warm‐wet extremes (WWEs) in ice‐covered zones. Utilizing ERA5 reanalysis data, this study determined the duration and frequency of WDEs and WWEs across ice‐covered and non‐ice‐covered regions. A comprehensive analysis uncovers the physical mechanisms responsible for the paradigm differences and attributes them to the weakening of land‐atmosphere interaction caused by ice‐cover, which inhibits soil moisture feedback and reduces the intensity and duration of warm events in ice‐covered areas. Both WDEs and WWEs are associated with high‐pressure systems (HPs). WDEs, situated directly beneath HPs, intensify due to adiabatic warming from subsidence motions. Conversely, WWEs, located beneath the poleward fringes of HPs, emerge from advective warming and moistening associated with poleward intrusions of warm‐moist air.

show abstract

The Processes-Based Attributes of Four Major Surface Melting Events over the Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf

Cited by 4 publications

References 42 publications

Deciphering the Shift from Warm-Dry to Warm-Wet Events in Ice-Covered and Non-Ice-Covered Regions

Deciphering the Shift from Warm-Dry to Warm-Wet Events in Ice-Covered and Non-Ice-Covered Regions

The importance of cloud phase when assessing surface melting in an offline coupled firn model over Ross Ice shelf, West Antarctica

Deciphering the Prevalence of Warm‐Wet Extremes in Ice‐Covered Zones

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