Article (Scientific journals)
Coupling MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional) with PISM (Parallel Ice Sheet Model) mitigates the positive melt–elevation feedback
Delhasse, Alison; Beckmann, Johanna; Kittel, Christoph et al.
2024In The Cryosphere, 18 (2), p. 633-651
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
 

Files


Full Text
Delhasse-2024-TC (GRD,MAR-PISM coupling).pdf
Author postprint (6.33 MB)
Download

All documents in ORBi are protected by a user license.

Send to



Details



Keywords :
Earth-Surface Processes; Water Science and Technology
Abstract :
[en] Abstract. The Greenland Ice Sheet is a key contributor to sea level rise. By melting, the ice sheet thins, inducing higher surface melt due to lower surface elevations, accelerating the melt coming from global warming. This process is called the melt–elevation feedback and can be considered by using two types of models: either (1) atmospheric models, which can represent the surface mass balance (SMB), or SMB estimates resulting from simpler models such as positive degree day models or (2) ice sheet models representing the surface elevation evolution. The latter ones do not represent the surface mass balance explicitly as well as polar-oriented climate models. A new coupling between the MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional) regional climate model and the PISM (Parallel Ice Sheet Model) ice sheet model is presented here following the CESM2 (Community Earth System Model; SSP5-8.5, Shared Socioeconomic Pathway) scenario until 2100 at the MAR lateral boundaries. The coupling is extended to 2200 with a stabilised climate (+7 ∘C compared to 1961–1990) by randomly sampling the last 10 years of CESM2 to force MAR and reaches a sea level rise contribution of 64 cm. The fully coupled simulation is compared to a one-way experiment where surface topography remains fixed in MAR. However, the surface mass balance is corrected for the melt–elevation feedback when interpolated on the PISM grid by using surface mass balance vertical gradients as a function of local elevation variations (offline correction). This method is often used to represent the melt–elevation feedback and prevents a coupling which is too expensive in computation time. In the fully coupled MAR simulation, the ice sheet morphology evolution (changing slope and reducing the orographic barrier) induces changes in local atmospheric patterns. More specifically, wind regimes are modified, as well as temperature lapse rates, influencing the melt rate through modification of sensible heat fluxes at the ice sheet margins. We highlight mitigation of the melt lapse rate on the margins by modifying the surface morphology. The lapse rates considered by the offline correction are no longer valid at the ice sheet margins. If used (one-way simulation), this correction implies an overestimation of the sea level rise contribution of 2.5 %. The mitigation of the melt lapse rate on the margins can only be corrected by using a full coupling between an ice sheet model and an atmospheric model.
Research center :
SPHERES - ULiège [BE]
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Delhasse, Alison  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Climatologie et Topoclimatologie
Beckmann, Johanna 
Kittel, Christoph  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Climatologie et Topoclimatologie
Fettweis, Xavier  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Climatologie et Topoclimatologie
Language :
English
Title :
Coupling MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional) with PISM (Parallel Ice Sheet Model) mitigates the positive melt–elevation feedback
Publication date :
12 February 2024
Journal title :
The Cryosphere
ISSN :
1994-0416
eISSN :
1994-0424
Publisher :
Copernicus GmbH
Volume :
18
Issue :
2
Pages :
633-651
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Tags :
CÉCI : Consortium des Équipements de Calcul Intensif
Tier-1 supercomputer
Available on ORBi :
since 14 February 2024

Statistics


Number of views
30 (2 by ULiège)
Number of downloads
17 (2 by ULiège)

Scopus citations®
 
0
Scopus citations®
without self-citations
0

Bibliography


Similar publications



Contact ORBi