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The Spatiotemporal Variability of Cloud Radiative Effects on the Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance
Author(s) -
Izeboud M.,
Lhermitte S.,
Van Tricht K.,
Lenaerts J. T. M.,
Van Lipzig N. P. M.,
Wever N.
Publication year - 2020
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 - 10.1029/2020gl087315
Subject(s) - greenland ice sheet , albedo (alchemy) , environmental science , glacier mass balance , atmospheric sciences , climatology , radiative transfer , snowpack , cloud albedo , cloud cover , earth's energy budget , snow , ice sheet , meteorology , cloud computing , geology , radiation , physical geography , geography , glacier , physics , oceanography , quantum mechanics , performance art , computer science , art history , operating system , art
To better understand and quantify the impact of clouds on the Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance (SMB), we study the spatiotemporal variability of the cloud radiative effect (CRE). The total CRE is separated in short‐term and long‐term impacts by performing multiple simulations with the SNOWPACK model for 2001‐+2010. The annual total CRE is 16.8 ± 4.5 W m −2 , reducing the SMB with −157 ± 3.8 Gt yr −1 . Summer cloud radiative cooling is −6.4 ± 5.7 W m −2 in the ablation area, increasing the SMB with 121 ± 2.2 Gt yr −1 . The annual integrated impact is cloud‐reduced SMB of −36 Gt yr −1 . The short‐term effect dominates the opposing long‐term effects through the albedo‐melt feedback. A long‐term warming effect decreases the albedo and so preconditions the surface for enhanced (summer) melt. The impact of the CRE, determined by spatial, temporal and initial conditions, explains existing conflicted views on the role of cloud radiation and emphasizes the need for accurate cloud and albedo representations in future studies.