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Insignificant change in Antarctic snowmelt volume since 1979
Author(s) -
Kuipers Munneke P.,
Picard G.,
den Broeke M. R.,
Lenaerts J. T. M.,
Meijgaard E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2011gl050207
Subject(s) - meltwater , snowmelt , antarctic ice sheet , snow , climatology , ice sheet , peninsula , volume (thermodynamics) , ice shelf , cryosphere , geology , antarctic sea ice , physical geography , environmental science , sea ice , oceanography , geography , geomorphology , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics
Surface snowmelt is widespread in coastal Antarctica. Satellite‐based microwave sensors have been observing melt area and duration for over three decades. However, these observations do not reveal the total volume of meltwater produced on the ice sheet. Here we present an Antarctic melt volume climatology for the period 1979–2010, obtained using a regional climate model equipped with realistic snow physics. We find that mean continent‐wide meltwater volume (1979–2010) amounts to 89 Gt y −1 with large interannual variability ( σ = 41 Gt y −1 ). Of this amount, 57 Gt y −1 (64%) is produced on the floating ice shelves extending from the grounded ice sheet, and 71 Gt y −1 in West‐Antarctica, including the Antarctic Peninsula. We find no statistically significant trend in either continent‐wide or regional meltwater volume for the 31‐year period 1979–2010.