This discussion paper is a preprint. It is a manuscript under review for the journal The Cryosphere (TC).
Regional Grid Refinement in an Earth System Model: Impacts on
the Simulated Greenland Surface Mass Balance
Leonardus van Kampenhout1,Alan M. Rhoades2,Adam R. Herrington3,Colin M. Zarzycki4,Jan T. M. Lenaerts5,William J. Sacks4,and Michiel R. van den Broeke1Leonardus van Kampenhout et al. Leonardus van Kampenhout1,Alan M. Rhoades2,Adam R. Herrington3,Colin M. Zarzycki4,Jan T. M. Lenaerts5,William J. Sacks4,and Michiel R. van den Broeke1
1Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
2Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA, USA
3Stony Brook University, Stony Brook NY, USA
4National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder CO, USA
5Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder CO, USA
1Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
2Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA, USA
3Stony Brook University, Stony Brook NY, USA
4National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder CO, USA
5Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder CO, USA
Received: 23 Nov 2018 – Accepted for review: 05 Dec 2018 – Discussion started: 06 Dec 2018
Abstract. In this study, the resolution dependence of the simulated Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance in the variable-resolution Community Earth System Model (VR-CESM) is investigated. Coupled atmosphere-land simulations are performed on three regionally refined grids over Greenland at 1° (~111 km), 0.5°(~55 km), and 0.25° (~28 km), maintaining a quasi-uniform resolution of 1° (~111 km) over the rest of the globe. The SMB in the accumulation zone is significantly improved compared to airborne radar and in-situ observations, with a general wetting at the margins and a drying in the interior GrIS. Total precipitation decreases with resolution, which is in line with best-available regional climate model results. In the ablation zone, VR-CESM starts developing a positive SMB bias in some locations. Potential driving mechanisms are proposed, amongst which are diversions in large scale circulation, changes in cloud cover, and changes in summer snowfall. Overall, our results demonstrate that VR-CESM is a viable new tool in the cryospheric sciences and can be used to dynamically downscale future scenarios and/or be interactively coupled to dynamical ice sheet models.
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Short summary
A global climate model capable of regional grid refinement (VR-CESM) is applied to the Greenland Ice Sheet. Such a model may be used to translate anthropogenic climatic warming into sea level rise estimates, in particular the surface mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In this study, however, the model is applied to the recent past (1980–1999) and evaluated using observational data.
A global climate model capable of regional grid refinement (VR-CESM) is applied to the Greenland...