Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T00:03:24.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A four-year record of the meteorological parameters, radiative and turbulent energy fluxes at the edge of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, close to Schirmacher Oasis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2013

H.S. Gusain ,
V.D. Mishra  and
M.K. Arora
H.S. Gusain*
Affiliation:
Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Research and Development Centre, Plot No. 1, Sector 37-A, Chandigarh, India 160 036
V.D. Mishra
Affiliation:
Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Research and Development Centre, Plot No. 1, Sector 37-A, Chandigarh, India 160 036
M.K. Arora
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India 247 667
*
[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Surface energy fluxes of the ice sheet close to oases (ice-free land regions) are crucial in the case of retreating ice sheet and growing oasis areas. This study presents a four-year record of the meteorological parameters, radiative and turbulent energy fluxes at the edge of the Antarctic ice sheet, close to Schirmacher Oasis in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica from March 2007–February 2011. The energy fluxes were analysed for summer season, winter season and transition periods. High katabatic winds were observed during winter (seasonal mean 9.3 m s-1) as compared to other seasons. A high correlation (r2 = 0.89) was observed between the glacier surface temperature and air temperature, and regression relations were obtained for summer, winter and transition periods. The net radiative flux was the main heat source to the glacier during summer (46.8 W m-2) and heat sink during winter (-42.2 W m-2). Sensible heat flux (annual mean 32 W m-2) was the heat source and latent heat flux (annual mean -61 W m-2) was the heat sink to the glacier surface, averaged over all seasons. Comparison with other coastal or dry valley locations in Antarctica show that low humidity (50%), high katabatic winds (8.3 m s-1) and mild surface (-11.4°C) and air temperature (-10.2°C) contribute to high latent heat flux at the present study location.

Keywords

albedolatent heat fluxnet longwave radiation fluxnet shortwave radiation fluxsensible heat flux
Type
Physical Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , February 2014 , pp. 93 - 103
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ambach, W. Kirchlechner, P. 1986. Nomographs for the determination of meltwater from ice and snow surfaces by sensible and latent heat. Wetter Leben, 38, 181–189.Google Scholar
Bintanja, R. 1995. The local surface energy balance of the Ecology Glacier, King George Island, Antarctica: measurements and modelling. Antarctic Science, 7, 315–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. 2000. Surface heat budget of Antarctic snow and blue ice: interpretation of spatial and temporal variability. Journal of Geophysical Research, 105, 24 387–24 407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. van den Broeke, M.R. 1994. Local climate, circulation and surface-energy balance of an Antarctic blue ice area. Annals of Glaciology, 20, 160–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. van den Broeke, M.R. 1995. The surface energy balance of Antarctic snow and blue ice. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 34, 902–926.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R., Jonsson, S. Knap, W.H. 1997. The annual cycle of the surface energy balance of Antarctic blue ice. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102, 1867–1881.Google Scholar
Bliss, A.K., Cuffey, K.M. Kavanaugh, J.L. 2011. Sublimation and surface energy budget of Taylor Glacier, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 57, 684–696.Google Scholar
Doran, P.T., McKay, C.P., Meyer, M.A., Andersen, D.T., Wharton Jr, R.A. & Hastings, J.T. 1996. Climatology and implications for perennial lake ice occurrence at Bunger Hills Oasis, East Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 8, 289–296.Google Scholar
Drewry, D.J., Jordan, S.R. Jankowski, E. 1982. Measured properties of the Antarctic ice sheet: surface configuration, ice thickness, volume, and bedrock characteristics. Annals of Glaciology, 3, 83–91.Google Scholar
Greuell, W. Konzelmann, T. 1994. Numerical modelling of the energy balance and the englacial temperature of the Greenland ice sheet: calculation for the ETH-camp location (West Greenland, 1155 m a.s.l.). Global and Planetary Change, 9, 91–114.Google Scholar
Gusain, H.S., Singh, K.K., Mishra, V.D., Srivastava, P.K. Ganju, A. 2009. Study of surface energy and mass balance at the edge of the Antarctic ice sheet during summer in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 21, 401–409.Google Scholar
Gusain, H.S., Mishra, V.D. Negi, A. 2011. Comparative study of the radiative and turbulent energy fluxes during summer and winter at the edge of the Antarctic ice sheet in Dronning Maud Land - East Antarctica. MAUSAM, 62, 557–566.Google Scholar
Hoffman, M.J., Fountain, A.G. Liston, G.E. 2008. Surface energy balance and melt thresholds over 11 years at Taylor Glacier, Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 10.1029/2008JF001029.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuipers Munneke, P., van Den Broeke, M.R., King, J.C., Gray, T. Reijmer, C.H. 2012. Near-surface climate and surface energy budget of Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctic Peninsula. The Cryosphere, 6, 353–363.Google Scholar
Lewis, K.J., Fountain, A.G. Dana, G.L. 1998. Surface energy balance and meltwater production for a dry valley glacier, Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Annals of Glaciology, 27, 603–609.Google Scholar
Niemelä, S., Räisänen, P. Savijärvi, H. 2001. Comparison of surface radiative flux parameterizations. Part I. Longwave radiation. Atmospheric Research, 58, 1–18.Google Scholar
Paterson, W.S.B. 1994. The physics of glaciers. 3rd ed. Oxford: Elsevier, 480 pp.Google Scholar
Prata, A.J. 1996. A new longwave formula for estimating downward clear-sky radiation at the surface. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 122, 1127–1151.Google Scholar
Price, A.G. Dunne, T. 1976. Energy balance computation of snowmelt in a sub Arctic area. Journal of Resource, 12, 686–694.Google Scholar
Reijmer, C.H. Oerlemans, J. 2002. Temporal and spatial variability of the surface energy balance in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 10.1029/2000JD000110.Google Scholar
Reijmer, C.H. van den Broeke, M.R. 2001. Moisture source of precipitation in western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 13, 210–220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shrivastava, P.K., Asthana, R. Roy, S.K. 2011. The ice sheet dynamics around Dakshin Gangotri Glacier, Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica vis-à-vis topography and meteorological parameters. Journal Geological Society of India, 78, 117–123.Google Scholar
Tyagi, A., Singh, U.P. Mohapatra, M. 2011. Weather & weather systems at Schirmacher Oasis (Maitri) during recent two decades - A review. MAUSAM, 62, 513–534.Google Scholar
Upadhyay, D.S. 1999. Cold climate hydrometeorology. New Delhi: New AGE International, 218 pp.Google Scholar
US Army Corps Of Engineers. 1956. Summary report on the snow investigations - snow hydrology. Portland, OR: North Pacific Division, Corps of Engineers, US Army, 434 pp.Google Scholar
Van As, D., van Den Broeke, M. van de Wal, R. 2005. Daily cycle of the surface layer and energy balance on the high Antarctic Plateau. Antarctic Science, 17, 121–133.Google Scholar
Van den Broeke, M., Reijmer, C. van de Wal, R. 2004. Surface radiation balance in Antarctica as measured with automatic weather stations. Journal of Geophysical Research, 10.1029/2003JD004394.Google Scholar
Van den Broeke, M., Reijmer, C., van As, D. Boot, W. 2006. Daily cycle of the surface energy balance in Antarctica and the influence of clouds. International Journal of Climatology, 26, 1587–1605.Google Scholar
Van den Broeke, M., Reijmer, C., van As, D., van de Wal, R. Oerlemans, J. 2005. Seasonal cycles of Antarctic surface energy balance from automatic weather stations. Annals of Glaciology, 41, 131–139.Google Scholar
Zhou, M., Zhang, Z., Zhong, S., Lenschow, D., Hsu, H.M., Sun, B., Gao, Z., Li, S., Bian, X. Yu, L. 2009. Observations of near-surface wind and temperature structures and their variations with topography and latitude in East Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 10.1029/2008JD011611.Google Scholar