Sunlight, clouds, sea ice, albedo, and the radiative budget: the umbrella versus the blanket
The surface radiation budget of the Arctic Ocean plays a central role in summer ice melt and is governed by clouds and surface albedo. I calculated the net radiation flux for a range of albedos under sunny and cloudy skies and determined the break-even value, where the net radiation is the same...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2018-06-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/2159/2018/tc-12-2159-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | The surface radiation budget of the Arctic Ocean plays a central
role in summer ice melt and is governed by clouds and surface albedo. I
calculated the net radiation flux for a range of albedos under sunny and
cloudy skies and determined the break-even value, where the net radiation is
the same for cloudy and sunny skies. Break-even albedos range from 0.30 in
September to 0.58 in July. For snow-covered or bare ice, sunny skies always
result in less radiative heat input. In contrast, leads always have, and
ponds usually have, more radiative input under sunny skies than cloudy
skies. Snow-covered ice has a net radiation flux that is negative or near
zero under sunny skies, resulting in radiative cooling. Areally averaged
albedos for sea ice in July result in a smaller net radiation flux under
cloudy skies. For May, June, August, and September, the net radiation is
smaller under sunny skies. |
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| ISSN: | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |