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Large‐Scale Atmospheric Drivers of Snowfall Over Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica
Author(s) -
Maclennan Michelle L.,
Lenaerts Jan T. M.
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2021gl093644
Subject(s) - snow , climatology , glacier , glacier mass balance , future sea level , atmospheric circulation , environmental science , geology , atmospheric sciences , sea ice , cryosphere , antarctic sea ice , paleontology , geomorphology
High snowfall events on Thwaites Glacier (TG, West Antarctica) are a key influencer of its mass balance, and can act to mitigate sea level rise due to ocean warming‐induced ice loss. We use the output of a high‐resolution regional climate model, RACMO2, in conjunction with MERRA‐2 and ERA5 atmospheric reanalyses for the period 1980–2015 and show that there is a pronounced seasonal cycle in snowfall over TG, driven by the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL). We find that the total annual snowfall does not correlate significantly with the Southern Annular Mode or El Niño Southern Oscillation, but it does relate to the zonal wave three pattern over Antarctica through the coupling of the ASL with a blocking high over the Antarctic Peninsula during high snowfall events. Our results highlight that atmospheric circulation and consequent high snowfall events on TG are highly variable, and recognizing their future change will aid to improve predictions of mass balance.