Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments
<p>Clouds are an important component of the climate system, yet our understanding of how they directly and indirectly affect glacier melt in different climates is incomplete. Here we analyse high-quality datasets from 16 mountain glaciers in diverse climates around the globe to better understa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2022-08-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/3331/2022/tc-16-3331-2022.pdf |
| _version_ | 1817998478548140032 |
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| author | J. P. Conway J. Abermann J. Abermann L. M. Andreassen M. F. Azam N. J. Cullen N. Fitzpatrick N. Fitzpatrick R. H. Giesen R. H. Giesen K. Langley S. MacDonell S. MacDonell T. Mölg V. Radić C. H. Reijmer J.-E. Sicart |
| author_facet | J. P. Conway J. Abermann J. Abermann L. M. Andreassen M. F. Azam N. J. Cullen N. Fitzpatrick N. Fitzpatrick R. H. Giesen R. H. Giesen K. Langley S. MacDonell S. MacDonell T. Mölg V. Radić C. H. Reijmer J.-E. Sicart |
| author_sort | J. P. Conway |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Clouds are an important component of the climate system,
yet our understanding of how they directly and indirectly affect glacier
melt in different climates is incomplete. Here we analyse high-quality
datasets from 16 mountain glaciers in diverse climates around the globe to
better understand how relationships between clouds and near-surface
meteorology, radiation and surface energy balance vary. The seasonal cycle
of cloud frequency varies markedly between mountain glacier sites. During
the main melt season at each site, an increase in cloud cover is associated
with increased vapour pressure and relative humidity, but relationships to
wind speed are site specific. At colder sites (average near-surface air
temperature in the melt season <span class="inline-formula"><0</span> <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C), air temperature
generally increases with increasing cloudiness, while for warmer sites
(average near-surface air temperature in the melt season <span class="inline-formula">≫0</span> <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C), air temperature decreases with increasing
cloudiness. At all sites, surface melt is more frequent in cloudy compared
to clear-sky conditions. The proportion of melt from temperature-dependent
energy fluxes (incoming longwave radiation, turbulent sensible heat and latent
heat) also universally increases in cloudy conditions. However, cloud cover
does not affect daily total melt in a universal way, with some sites showing
increased melt energy during cloudy conditions and others decreased melt
energy. The complex association of clouds with melt energy is not amenable
to simple relationships due to many interacting physical processes (direct
radiative forcing; surface albedo; and co-variance with temperature, humidity
and wind) but is most closely related to the effect of clouds on net
radiation. These results motivate the use of physics-based surface energy
balance models for representing glacier–climate relationships in regional-
and global-scale assessments of glacier response to climate change.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T02:54:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-541a0483e9bb47dc91d66484182a3457 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T02:54:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-541a0483e9bb47dc91d66484182a34572022-12-22T02:16:10ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242022-08-01163331335610.5194/tc-16-3331-2022Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environmentsJ. P. Conway0J. Abermann1J. Abermann2L. M. Andreassen3M. F. Azam4N. J. Cullen5N. Fitzpatrick6N. Fitzpatrick7R. H. Giesen8R. H. Giesen9K. Langley10S. MacDonell11S. MacDonell12T. Mölg13V. Radić14C. H. Reijmer15J.-E. Sicart16National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Lauder, New ZealandDepartment of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, Graz, AustriaASIAQ Greenland Survey, 3900 Nuuk, GreenlandSection for Glaciers, Ice and Snow, Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, 453552, IndiaSchool of Geography, University of Otago, Dunedin, New ZealandEarth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canadanow at: Climate Services and Research Applications Division, Met Éireann, Dublin, IrelandInstitute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlandsnow at: R&D Satellite Observations, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), De Bilt, the NetherlandsASIAQ Greenland Survey, 3900 Nuuk, GreenlandCentro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Raúl Bitrán 1305, La Serena, ChileWaterways Centre for Freshwater Management, University of Canterbury and Lincoln University, Christchurch, New ZealandClimate System Research Group, Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, GermanyEarth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaInstitute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsInstitut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, 38000 Grenoble, France<p>Clouds are an important component of the climate system, yet our understanding of how they directly and indirectly affect glacier melt in different climates is incomplete. Here we analyse high-quality datasets from 16 mountain glaciers in diverse climates around the globe to better understand how relationships between clouds and near-surface meteorology, radiation and surface energy balance vary. The seasonal cycle of cloud frequency varies markedly between mountain glacier sites. During the main melt season at each site, an increase in cloud cover is associated with increased vapour pressure and relative humidity, but relationships to wind speed are site specific. At colder sites (average near-surface air temperature in the melt season <span class="inline-formula"><0</span> <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C), air temperature generally increases with increasing cloudiness, while for warmer sites (average near-surface air temperature in the melt season <span class="inline-formula">≫0</span> <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C), air temperature decreases with increasing cloudiness. At all sites, surface melt is more frequent in cloudy compared to clear-sky conditions. The proportion of melt from temperature-dependent energy fluxes (incoming longwave radiation, turbulent sensible heat and latent heat) also universally increases in cloudy conditions. However, cloud cover does not affect daily total melt in a universal way, with some sites showing increased melt energy during cloudy conditions and others decreased melt energy. The complex association of clouds with melt energy is not amenable to simple relationships due to many interacting physical processes (direct radiative forcing; surface albedo; and co-variance with temperature, humidity and wind) but is most closely related to the effect of clouds on net radiation. These results motivate the use of physics-based surface energy balance models for representing glacier–climate relationships in regional- and global-scale assessments of glacier response to climate change.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/3331/2022/tc-16-3331-2022.pdf |
| spellingShingle | J. P. Conway J. Abermann J. Abermann L. M. Andreassen M. F. Azam N. J. Cullen N. Fitzpatrick N. Fitzpatrick R. H. Giesen R. H. Giesen K. Langley S. MacDonell S. MacDonell T. Mölg V. Radić C. H. Reijmer J.-E. Sicart Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments The Cryosphere |
| title | Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments |
| title_full | Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments |
| title_fullStr | Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments |
| title_short | Cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments |
| title_sort | cloud forcing of surface energy balance from in situ measurements in diverse mountain glacier environments |
| url | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/3331/2022/tc-16-3331-2022.pdf |
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