Brief communication: An alternative method for estimating the scavenging efficiency of black carbon by meltwater over sea ice
<p>The meltwater scavenging coefficient (MSC) of black carbon (BC) is a crucial parameter in snow and sea ice models, as it determines the BC enrichment in the surface layer of melting snow over sea ice and therefore modulates the BC–snow–albedo feedbacks. We present a new method for MSC estim...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2019-12-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/3309/2019/tc-13-3309-2019.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>The meltwater scavenging coefficient (MSC) of black carbon (BC) is
a crucial parameter in snow and sea ice models, as it determines the BC
enrichment in the surface layer of melting snow over sea ice and therefore
modulates the BC–snow–albedo feedbacks. We present a new method for MSC
estimation by sampling the melt–refreeze ice layer that is produced from
refreezing of the meltwater within snowpack and its overlying snow and
measuring their physical characteristics in Elson Lagoon northeast of
Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, during the melting season. The bias of estimated MSC ranges
from <span class="inline-formula">−5.4</span> % to 7.3 %, which is not exactly dependent on the degree of
ablation. The average MSC value calculated with this
proposed method is slightly lower than that derived from the repeating
sampling (RS) method in Elson Lagoon while still being within its best
estimate range. Further estimation demonstrates that the MSC in the Canada Basin
(<span class="inline-formula">23.6 <i>%</i>±2.1 <i>%</i></span>) is close to that in Greenland (<span class="inline-formula">23.0 <i>%</i>±12.5 <i>%</i></span>) and larger than that in the Chukchi Sea (<span class="inline-formula">17.9 <i>%</i>±5.0 <i>%</i></span>) in
the northwest of Utqiaġvik. Elson Lagoon has the lowest MSC (<span class="inline-formula">14.5 <i>%</i>±2.6 <i>%</i></span>) in the study areas. The method
suggested in this study provides a possible approach for large-scale
measurements of MSC over the sea ice area in the Arctic. Of course, this
method depends on the presence of a melt–refreeze ice layer in the
observation area.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |