Glacier Energy and Mass Balance (GEMB): a model of firn processes for cryosphere research
<p>This paper provides the first description of the open-source Glacier Energy and Mass Balance model. GEMB models the ice sheet and glacier surface–atmospheric energy and mass exchange, as well as the firn state. It is a column model (no horizontal communication) of intermediate complexity th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Geoscientific Model Development |
| Online Access: | https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/16/2277/2023/gmd-16-2277-2023.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>This paper provides the first description of the
open-source Glacier Energy and Mass Balance model. GEMB models the ice sheet
and glacier surface–atmospheric energy and mass exchange, as well as the firn state. It
is a column model (no horizontal communication) of intermediate complexity
that includes those processes deemed most relevant to glacier studies. GEMB
prioritizes computational efficiency to accommodate the very long (thousands
of years) spin-ups necessary for initializing deep firn columns and
sensitivity experiments needed to characterize model uncertainty on
continental scales. The model is one-way coupled with the atmosphere, which
allows the model to be run offline with a diversity of climate forcing but
neglects feedback to the atmosphere. GEMB provides numerous parameterization
choices for various key processes (e.g., albedo, subsurface shortwave
absorption, and compaction), making it well suited for uncertainty
quantification and model exploration. The model is evaluated against the
current state of the art and in situ observations and is shown to perform
well.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1991-959X 1991-9603 |