Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements
An increasing number of studies have demonstrated significant climatic and ecological changes occurring in the northern latitudes over the past decades. As coupled Earth-system models attempt to describe and simulate the dynamics and complex feedbacks of the Arctic environment, it is important to re...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2014-03-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/487/2014/tc-8-487-2014.pdf |
| _version_ | 1828464803274817536 |
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| author | E. Kantzas S. Quegan M. Lomas E. Zakharova |
| author_facet | E. Kantzas S. Quegan M. Lomas E. Zakharova |
| author_sort | E. Kantzas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An increasing number of studies have demonstrated significant climatic and
ecological changes occurring in the northern latitudes over the past decades.
As coupled Earth-system models attempt to describe and simulate the dynamics
and complex feedbacks of the Arctic environment, it is important to reduce
their uncertainties in short-term predictions by improving the description of
both system processes and its initial state. This study focuses on
snow-related variables and makes extensive use of a historical data set
(1966–1996) of field snow measurements acquired across the extent of the
former Soviet Union to evaluate a range of simulated snow metrics produced by
several land surface models, most of them embedded in IPCC-standard climate
models. We reveal model-specific failings in simulating snowpack properties
such as magnitude, inter-annual variability, timings of snow water equivalent
and evolution of snow density. We develop novel and model-independent
methodologies that use the field snow measurements to extract the values of
fresh snow density and snowpack sublimation, and exploit them to assess model
outputs. By directly forcing the surface heat exchange formulation of a land
surface model with field data on snow depth and snow density, we evaluate how
inaccuracies in simulating snow metrics affect soil temperature, thaw depth
and soil carbon decomposition. We also show how field data can be assimilated
into models using optimization techniques in order to identify model defects
and improve model performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T03:20:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-afe2e102b1394b339e50ab5e43188adf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T03:20:53Z |
| publishDate | 2014-03-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-afe2e102b1394b339e50ab5e43188adf2022-12-22T01:22:38ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242014-03-018248750210.5194/tc-8-487-2014Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurementsE. Kantzas0S. Quegan1M. Lomas2E. Zakharova3Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics: National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Rd, Sheffield S37RH, UKCentre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics: National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Rd, Sheffield S37RH, UKCentre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics: National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Rd, Sheffield S37RH, UKCentre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'etudes en Geophysique et Oceanographie Spatiales (LEGOS), UMR5566 (CNRS, CNES, IRD, Universite Paul Sabatier Toulouse III), 14, avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, FranceAn increasing number of studies have demonstrated significant climatic and ecological changes occurring in the northern latitudes over the past decades. As coupled Earth-system models attempt to describe and simulate the dynamics and complex feedbacks of the Arctic environment, it is important to reduce their uncertainties in short-term predictions by improving the description of both system processes and its initial state. This study focuses on snow-related variables and makes extensive use of a historical data set (1966–1996) of field snow measurements acquired across the extent of the former Soviet Union to evaluate a range of simulated snow metrics produced by several land surface models, most of them embedded in IPCC-standard climate models. We reveal model-specific failings in simulating snowpack properties such as magnitude, inter-annual variability, timings of snow water equivalent and evolution of snow density. We develop novel and model-independent methodologies that use the field snow measurements to extract the values of fresh snow density and snowpack sublimation, and exploit them to assess model outputs. By directly forcing the surface heat exchange formulation of a land surface model with field data on snow depth and snow density, we evaluate how inaccuracies in simulating snow metrics affect soil temperature, thaw depth and soil carbon decomposition. We also show how field data can be assimilated into models using optimization techniques in order to identify model defects and improve model performance.http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/487/2014/tc-8-487-2014.pdf |
| spellingShingle | E. Kantzas S. Quegan M. Lomas E. Zakharova Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements The Cryosphere |
| title | Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements |
| title_full | Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements |
| title_short | Evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements |
| title_sort | evaluation of the snow regime in dynamic vegetation land surface models using field measurements |
| url | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/487/2014/tc-8-487-2014.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ekantzas evaluationofthesnowregimeindynamicvegetationlandsurfacemodelsusingfieldmeasurements AT squegan evaluationofthesnowregimeindynamicvegetationlandsurfacemodelsusingfieldmeasurements AT mlomas evaluationofthesnowregimeindynamicvegetationlandsurfacemodelsusingfieldmeasurements AT ezakharova evaluationofthesnowregimeindynamicvegetationlandsurfacemodelsusingfieldmeasurements |