Results from the Sunlight Absorption on the Greenland Ice Sheet Experiment (SAGE)

Abstract:

MODIS observations indicate that albedo of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) has been declining since 2001, with important implications for energy balance and surface melt. The SAGE project seeks to understand the relative roles played by grain size changes, black carbon (BC), dust, and surface melt in decreasing the albedo of the high elevation areas of the GIS. Traverses were conducted in 2013 and 2014, sampling a total of 67 snow pits across much of northwestern Greenland to characterize snow microphysics and the deposition of absorbing impurities over the prior 1-2 annual cycles, with particular attention paid to sampling the 2012 melt layer. Results show elevated biomass burning derived BC levels in summer 2012 and elevated dust concentrations in spring 2013 at some sites, both particularly in the central areas of the ice sheet. Observations and modeling results indicate, however, that the albedo impact of these modest enhancements in impurity concentrations was very minimal (<<1%) in the dry snow environment. Grain metamorphosis in dry snow and surface wetting/grain growth occurring when melt extends to higher elevations appear to be the most important processes controlling albedo change across the high elevations of the Greenland ice sheet.