C51B-0707
Longitudinal Inter-Comparison of Modeled and Measured West Greenland Ice Sheet Meltwater Runoff Losses (2004-2014)
Friday, 18 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Samiah Moustafa1, Asa K Rennermalm1, Marco Tedesco2,3, Thomas L Mote4, Lora Koenig5, Laurence C Smith6, Birgit Hagedorn7, Irina Overeem8,9, Ronald S Sletten10, Andreas Bech Mikkelsen11, Bent Hasholt11 and Dorothy K Hall12, (1)Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ, United States, (2)CUNY City College of New York, New York, NY, United States, (3)CUNY Graduate School and University Center, New York, NY, United States, (4)University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States, (5)National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, CO, United States, (6)University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, (7)University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, United States, (8)Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, CO, United States, (9)University of Colorado at Boulder, CSDMS/INSTAAR, Boulder, CO, United States, (10)Univ Washington, Seattle, WA, United States, (11)University of Copenhagen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen, Denmark, (12)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Abstract:
Increased surface meltwater runoff, that exits the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) margin via supra-, en-, and sub-glacial drainage networks into fjords, pro-glacial lakes and rivers, accounts for half or more of total mass loss. Despite its importance, modeled meltwater runoff fluxes are poorly constrained, primarily due to a lack of direct in situ observations. Here, we present the first ever longitudinal (north-south) inter-comparison of a multi-year dataset (2004-2014) of discharge for four drainage basins – Watson, Akuliarusiarsuup Kuua, Naujat Kuat, and North Rivers - along West Greenland. These in situ hydrologic measurements are compared with modeled runoff output from Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MAR) regional climate model, and the performance of the model is examined. An analysis of the relationship between modeled and actual ice sheet runoff patterns is assessed, and provides insight into the model’s ability to capture inter-annual and intra-annual variability, spatiotemporal patterns, and extreme melt events. This study’s findings will inform future development and parameterization of ice sheet surface mass balance models.
