King, JC, Gadian, A orcid.org/0000-0001-9890-403X, Kirchgaessner, A et al. (7 more authors) (2015) Validation of the summertime surface energy budget of Larsen C Ice Shelf (Antarctica) as represented in three high-resolution atmospheric models. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 120 (4). pp. 1335-1347. ISSN 2169-897X
Abstract
We compare measurements of the turbulent and radiative surface energy fluxes from an automatic weather station (AWS) on Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica with corresponding fluxes from three high-resolution atmospheric models over a 1 month period during austral summer. All three models produce a reasonable simulation of the (relatively small) turbulent energy fluxes at the AWS site. However, biases in the modeled radiative fluxes, which dominate the surface energy budget, are significant. There is a significant positive bias in net shortwave radiation in all three models, together with a corresponding negative bias in net longwave radiation. In two of the models, the longwave bias only partially offsets the positive shortwave bias, leading to an excessive amount of energy available for heating and melting the surface, while, in the third, the negative longwave bias exceeds the positive shortwave bias, leading to a deficiency in calculated surface melt. Biases in shortwave and longwave radiation are anticorrelated, suggesting that they both result from the models simulating too little cloud (or clouds that are too optically thin). We conclude that, while these models may be able to provide some useful information on surface energy fluxes, absolute values of modeled melt rate are significantly biased and should be used with caution. Efforts to improve model simulation of melt should initially focus on the radiative fluxes and, in particular, on the simulation of the clouds that control these fluxes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2015, American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: 'King, JC, Gadian, A , Kirchgaessner, A et al (2015). Validation of the summertime surface energy budget of Larsen C Ice Shelf (Antarctica) as represented in three high-resolution atmospheric models. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 120 (4). pp. 1335-1347,' which has been published in final form at [https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022604]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > National Centre for Atmos Science (NCAS) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Nov 2017 12:40 |
Last Modified: | 08 Nov 2017 12:40 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Geophysical Union |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/2014JD022604 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:123660 |