Print Email Facebook Twitter Evaluation of a new snow albedo scheme for the greenland ice sheet in the regional atmospheric climate model (racmo2) Title Evaluation of a new snow albedo scheme for the greenland ice sheet in the regional atmospheric climate model (racmo2) Author Van Dalum, Christiaan T. (Universiteit Utrecht) Jan Van De Berg, Willem (Universiteit Utrecht) Lhermitte, S.L.M. (TU Delft Mathematical Geodesy and Positioning) Van Den Broeke, Michiel R. (Universiteit Utrecht) Date 2020 Abstract Snow and ice albedo schemes in present-day climate models often lack a sophisticated radiation penetration scheme and do not explicitly include spectral albedo variations. In this study, we evaluate a new snow albedo scheme in the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO2) for the Greenland ice sheet, version 2.3p3, that includes these processes. The new albedo scheme uses the TwostreAm Radiative TransfEr in Snow (TARTES) model and the Spectral-To-NarrOWBand ALbedo (SNOWBAL) module, version 1.2. Additionally, the bare-ice albedo parameterization has been updated. The snow and ice broadband and narrowband albedo output of the updated version of RACMO2 is evaluated using the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) and Kangerlussuaq transect (K-Transect) in situ data and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote-sensing observations. Generally, the modeled narrowband and broadband albedo is in very good agreement with satellite observations, leading to a negligible domain-Averaged broadband albedo bias for the interior. Some discrepancies are, however, observed close to the ice margin. Compared to the previous model version, RACMO2.3p2, the broadband albedo is considerably higher in the bare-ice zone during the ablation season, as atmospheric conditions now alter the bare-ice broadband albedo. For most other regions, however, the updated broadband albedo is lower due to spectral effects, radiation penetration or enhanced snow metamorphism. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ad4b0b04-6cba-484c-a341-9c4c5163551c DOI https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3645-2020 ISSN 1994-0416 Source The Cryosphere, 14 (11), 3645-3662 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2020 Christiaan T. Van Dalum, Willem Jan Van De Berg, S.L.M. Lhermitte, Michiel R. Van Den Broeke Files PDF tc_14_3645_2020.pdf 24.15 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:ad4b0b04-6cba-484c-a341-9c4c5163551c/datastream/OBJ/view