Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changes
<p>Pine Island Glacier (PIG) has recently experienced increased ice loss that has mostly been attributed to basal melt and ocean ice dynamics. However, atmospheric forcing also plays a role in the ice mass budget, as besides lower-latitude warm air intrusions, the steeply sloping terrain that...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-07-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/3041/2023/tc-17-3041-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797772920993349632 |
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| author | D. Francis R. Fonseca K. S. Mattingly S. Lhermitte S. Lhermitte C. Walker |
| author_facet | D. Francis R. Fonseca K. S. Mattingly S. Lhermitte S. Lhermitte C. Walker |
| author_sort | D. Francis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Pine Island Glacier (PIG) has recently experienced increased ice loss that has mostly been
attributed to basal melt and ocean ice dynamics. However, atmospheric
forcing also plays a role in the ice mass budget, as besides lower-latitude
warm air intrusions, the steeply sloping terrain that surrounds the glacier
promotes frequent Foehn winds. An investigation of 41 years of reanalysis
data reveals that Foehn occurs more frequently from June to October, with
Foehn episodes typically lasting about 5 to 9 h. An analysis of the surface
mass balance indicated that their largest impact is on the surface
sublimation, which is increased by about 1.43 mm water equivalent (w.e.) per day with respect to no-Foehn events. Blowing snow makes roughly the
same contribution as snowfall, around 0.34–0.36 mm w.e. d<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, but with
the opposite sign. The melting rate is 3 orders of magnitude smaller
than the surface sublimation rate. The negative phase of the Antarctic
oscillation and the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode promote the
occurrence of Foehn at PIG. A particularly strong event took place on 9–11 November 2011, when 10 m winds speeds in excess of 20 m s<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> led to
downward sensible heat fluxes higher than 75 W m<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−2</sup></span> as they descended
the mountainous terrain. Surface sublimation and blowing-snow sublimation
dominated the surface mass balance, with magnitudes of up to 0.13 mm w.e. h<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>. Satellite data indicated an hourly surface melting area exceeding
100 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span>. Our results stress the importance of the atmospheric forcing
on the ice mass balance at PIG.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:58:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-30caf87ed7f04c28bc586fa7f1c415d0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:58:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-30caf87ed7f04c28bc586fa7f1c415d02023-07-25T10:55:13ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242023-07-01173041306210.5194/tc-17-3041-2023Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changesD. Francis0R. Fonseca1K. S. Mattingly2S. Lhermitte3S. Lhermitte4C. Walker5The Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) Lab, Khalifa University, P.O. Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesThe Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) Lab, Khalifa University, P.O. Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesSpace Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USADepartment of Earth & Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, BelgiumDepartment of Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the NetherlandsDepartment of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA<p>Pine Island Glacier (PIG) has recently experienced increased ice loss that has mostly been attributed to basal melt and ocean ice dynamics. However, atmospheric forcing also plays a role in the ice mass budget, as besides lower-latitude warm air intrusions, the steeply sloping terrain that surrounds the glacier promotes frequent Foehn winds. An investigation of 41 years of reanalysis data reveals that Foehn occurs more frequently from June to October, with Foehn episodes typically lasting about 5 to 9 h. An analysis of the surface mass balance indicated that their largest impact is on the surface sublimation, which is increased by about 1.43 mm water equivalent (w.e.) per day with respect to no-Foehn events. Blowing snow makes roughly the same contribution as snowfall, around 0.34–0.36 mm w.e. d<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>, but with the opposite sign. The melting rate is 3 orders of magnitude smaller than the surface sublimation rate. The negative phase of the Antarctic oscillation and the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode promote the occurrence of Foehn at PIG. A particularly strong event took place on 9–11 November 2011, when 10 m winds speeds in excess of 20 m s<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> led to downward sensible heat fluxes higher than 75 W m<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−2</sup></span> as they descended the mountainous terrain. Surface sublimation and blowing-snow sublimation dominated the surface mass balance, with magnitudes of up to 0.13 mm w.e. h<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>. Satellite data indicated an hourly surface melting area exceeding 100 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>2</sup></span>. Our results stress the importance of the atmospheric forcing on the ice mass balance at PIG.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/3041/2023/tc-17-3041-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | D. Francis R. Fonseca K. S. Mattingly S. Lhermitte S. Lhermitte C. Walker Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changes The Cryosphere |
| title | Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changes |
| title_full | Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changes |
| title_fullStr | Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changes |
| title_short | Foehn winds at Pine Island Glacier and their role in ice changes |
| title_sort | foehn winds at pine island glacier and their role in ice changes |
| url | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/17/3041/2023/tc-17-3041-2023.pdf |
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