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Snow on Antarctic sea ice
Author(s) -
Massom Robert A.,
Eicken Hajo,
Hass Christian,
Jeffries Martin O.,
Drinkwater Mark R.,
Sturm Matthew,
Worby Anthony P.,
Wu Xingren,
Lytle Victoria I.,
Ushio Shuki,
Morris Kim,
Reid Phillip A.,
Warren Stephen G.,
Allison Ian
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/2000rg000085
Subject(s) - snow , cryosphere , sea ice , snow field , climatology , arctic , environmental science , snow line , geology , arctic ice pack , albedo (alchemy) , firn , atmospheric sciences , climate change , snow cover , oceanography , geomorphology , art , art history , performance art
Snow on Antarctic sea ice plays a complex and highly variable role in air‐sea‐ice interaction processes and the Earth's climate system. Using data collected mostly during the past 10 years, this paper reviews the following topics: snow thickness and snow type and their geographical and seasonal variations; snow grain size, density, and salinity; frequency of occurrence of slush; thermal conductivity, snow surface temperature, and temperature gradients within snow; and the effect of snow thickness on albedo. Major findings include large regional and seasonal differences in snow properties and thicknesses; the consequences of thicker snow and thinner ice in the Antarctic relative to the Arctic (e.g., the importance of flooding and snow‐ice formation); the potential impact of increasing snowfall resulting from global climate change; lower observed values of snow thermal conductivity than those typically used in models; periodic large‐scale melt in winter; and the contrast in summer melt processes between the Arctic and the Antarctic. Both climate modeling and remote sensing would benefit by taking account of the differences between the two polar regions.