Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica
Knowledge of the precipitation contribution to the Antarctic surface mass balance is essential for defining the ice-sheet contribution to sea-level rise. Observations of precipitation are sparse over Antarctica, due to harsh environmental conditions. Precipitation during the summer months (November–...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143020000702/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811155824293183488 |
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| author | Claudio Scarchilli Virginia Ciardini Paolo Grigioni Antonio Iaccarino Lorenzo De Silvestri Marco Proposito Stefano Dolci Giuseppe Camporeale Riccardo Schioppo Adriano Antonelli Luca Baldini Nicoletta Roberto Stefania Argentini Alessandro Bracci Massimo Frezzotti |
| author_facet | Claudio Scarchilli Virginia Ciardini Paolo Grigioni Antonio Iaccarino Lorenzo De Silvestri Marco Proposito Stefano Dolci Giuseppe Camporeale Riccardo Schioppo Adriano Antonelli Luca Baldini Nicoletta Roberto Stefania Argentini Alessandro Bracci Massimo Frezzotti |
| author_sort | Claudio Scarchilli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Knowledge of the precipitation contribution to the Antarctic surface mass balance is essential for defining the ice-sheet contribution to sea-level rise. Observations of precipitation are sparse over Antarctica, due to harsh environmental conditions. Precipitation during the summer months (November–December–January) on four expeditions, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19, in the Terra Nova Bay area, were monitored using a vertically pointing radar, disdrometer, snow gauge, radiosounding and an automatic weather station installed at the Italian Mario Zucchelli Station. The relationship between radar reflectivity and precipitation rate at the site can be estimated using these instruments jointly. The error in calculated precipitation is up to 40%, mostly dependent on reflectivity variability and disdrometer inability to define the real particle fall velocity. Mean derived summer precipitation is ~55 mm water equivalent but with a large variability. During collocated measurements in 2018–19, corrected snow gauge amounts agree with those derived from the relationship, within the estimated errors. European Centre for the Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) analysis and operational outputs are able to forecast the precipitation timing but do not adequately reproduce quantities during the most intense events, with overestimation for ECMWF and underestimation for AMPS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:40:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cde2d6be88fa41aa9f34bb0130476aa7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:40:04Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-cde2d6be88fa41aa9f34bb0130476aa72023-03-09T12:41:00ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522020-12-01661006102310.1017/jog.2020.70Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, AntarcticaClaudio Scarchilli0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2414-2439Virginia Ciardini1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5527-4960Paolo Grigioni2Antonio Iaccarino3Lorenzo De Silvestri4Marco Proposito5Stefano Dolci6Giuseppe Camporeale7Riccardo Schioppo8Adriano Antonelli9Luca Baldini10Nicoletta Roberto11Stefania Argentini12Alessandro Bracci13Massimo Frezzotti14https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2461-2883Laboratory for Observations and Measurements of the Environmental and Climate (SSPT-PROTER-OEM), ENEA, Rome, ItalyLaboratory for Observations and Measurements of the Environmental and Climate (SSPT-PROTER-OEM), ENEA, Rome, ItalyLaboratory for Observations and Measurements of the Environmental and Climate (SSPT-PROTER-OEM), ENEA, Rome, ItalyLaboratory for Observations and Measurements of the Environmental and Climate (SSPT-PROTER-OEM), ENEA, Rome, ItalyLaboratory for Observations and Measurements of the Environmental and Climate (SSPT-PROTER-OEM), ENEA, Rome, ItalyLaboratory for Observations and Measurements of the Environmental and Climate (SSPT-PROTER-OEM), ENEA, Rome, ItalyAntarctic Technical Unit – Logistics Service (UTA-LOG), ENEA, Rome, ItalyInstitute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Enviroment (IREA), CNR, Naples, ItalyLaboratory of Manufacturing Technologies of photovoltaic cells (DTE-FSD-TEF), ENEA, Rome, ItalyEuropean Commission DG Joint Research Centre Directorate for Energy, Transport and Climate Energy Storage Unit, Petten, The Netherlands Laboratory of Smart Cities and Communities (DTE-SEN-SCC), ENEA, Ispra, ItalyInstitute of Atmospheric Science and Climate (ISAC), CNR, Rome, ItalyInstitute of Atmospheric Science and Climate (ISAC), CNR, Rome, ItalyInstitute of Atmospheric Science and Climate (ISAC), CNR, Rome, ItalyInstitute of Atmospheric Science and Climate (ISAC), CNR, Rome, Italy Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Science, University of ‘Roma Tre’, Rome, ItalyKnowledge of the precipitation contribution to the Antarctic surface mass balance is essential for defining the ice-sheet contribution to sea-level rise. Observations of precipitation are sparse over Antarctica, due to harsh environmental conditions. Precipitation during the summer months (November–December–January) on four expeditions, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19, in the Terra Nova Bay area, were monitored using a vertically pointing radar, disdrometer, snow gauge, radiosounding and an automatic weather station installed at the Italian Mario Zucchelli Station. The relationship between radar reflectivity and precipitation rate at the site can be estimated using these instruments jointly. The error in calculated precipitation is up to 40%, mostly dependent on reflectivity variability and disdrometer inability to define the real particle fall velocity. Mean derived summer precipitation is ~55 mm water equivalent but with a large variability. During collocated measurements in 2018–19, corrected snow gauge amounts agree with those derived from the relationship, within the estimated errors. European Centre for the Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) analysis and operational outputs are able to forecast the precipitation timing but do not adequately reproduce quantities during the most intense events, with overestimation for ECMWF and underestimation for AMPS.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143020000702/type/journal_articleAccumulationice in the atmosphereremote sensingsurface mass budgetwind-blown snow |
| spellingShingle | Claudio Scarchilli Virginia Ciardini Paolo Grigioni Antonio Iaccarino Lorenzo De Silvestri Marco Proposito Stefano Dolci Giuseppe Camporeale Riccardo Schioppo Adriano Antonelli Luca Baldini Nicoletta Roberto Stefania Argentini Alessandro Bracci Massimo Frezzotti Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica Journal of Glaciology Accumulation ice in the atmosphere remote sensing surface mass budget wind-blown snow |
| title | Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica |
| title_full | Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica |
| title_fullStr | Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica |
| title_short | Characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground-based remote-sensing observations at Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica |
| title_sort | characterization of snowfall estimated by in situ and ground based remote sensing observations at terra nova bay victoria land antarctica |
| topic | Accumulation ice in the atmosphere remote sensing surface mass budget wind-blown snow |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143020000702/type/journal_article |
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