We evaluate modelled Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) near-surface climate, surface mass balance (SMB) and surface energy balance (SEB) from the updated polar version of the regional atmospheric climate model, RACMO2 (1979–2016). The updated model, referred to as RACMO2.3p2, incorporates upper-air relaxation, a revised topography, tuned parameters in the cloud scheme to generate more precipitation towards the AIS interior and modified snow properties reducing drifting snow sublimation and increasing surface snowmelt. Comparisons of RACMO2 model output with several independent observational data show that the existing biases in AIS temperature, radiative fluxes and SMB components are further reduced with respect to the previous model version. The model-integrated annual average SMB for the ice sheet including ice shelves (minus the Antarctic Peninsula, AP) now amounts to 2229 Gt y⁻¹, with an interannual variability of 109 Gt y⁻¹. The largest improvement is found in modelled surface snowmelt, which now compares well with satellite and weather station observations. For the high-resolution (∼ 5.5 km) AP simulation, results remain comparable to earlier studies. The updated model provides a new, high-resolution data set of the contemporary near-surface climate and SMB of the AIS; this model version will be used for future climate scenario projections in a forthcoming study.

Continuous Global Positioning System observations reveal rapid and large ice velocity fluctuations in the western ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Within days, ice velocity reacts to increased meltwater production and increases by a factor of 4. Such a response is much stronger and much faster than previously reported. Over a longer period of 17 years, annual ice velocities have decreased slightly, which suggests that the englacial hydraulic system adjusts constantly to the variable meltwater input, which results in a more or less constant ice flux over the years. The positive-feedback mechanism between melt rate and ice velocity appears to be a seasonal process that may have only a limited effect on the response of the ice sheet to climate warming over the next decades.

This study evaluates the impact of a recent upgrade in the physics package of the regional atmospheric climate model RACMO2 on the simulated surface mass balance (SMB) of the Antarctic ice sheet. The modelled SMB increases, in particular over the grounded ice sheet of East Antarctica (+44 Gt a^–1), with a small change in West Antarctica. This mainly results from an increase in precipitation, which is explained by changes in the cloud microphysics, including a new parameterization for ice cloud supersaturation, and changes in large-scale circulation patterns, which alter topographically forced precipitation. The spatial changes in SMB are evaluated using 3234 in situ SMB observations and ice-balance velocities, and the temporal variability using GRACE satellite retrievals. The in situ observations and balance velocities show a clear improvement of the spatial representation of the SMB in the interior of East Antarctica, which has become considerably wetter. No improvements are seen for West Antarctica and the coastal regions. A comparison of model SMB temporal variability with GRACE satellite retrievals shows no significant change in performance.

The quality of atmospheric radiation measurements made at automatic weather stations (AWSs) in Antarctica is assessed. The AWSs are placed on the coastal ice shelf in the katabatic wind zone and on the high Antarctic plateau, and they measure shortwave and longwave radiation fluxes using unheated/unventilated Kipp and Zonen (KZ) CM3/CG3 sensors. During three summertime Antarctic experiments, the AWS sensors were directly compared to instruments of a higher standard, the KZ CM11 for shortwave and Eppley PIR for longwave radiation. It was found that the single-domed KZ CM3 is less sensitive to riming than the double-domed KZ CM11. With an accuracy better than 5% for daily averages, the KZ CM3 and CG3 perform better than their specifications. Net shortwave radiation calculated from individual pairs of incoming and reflected fluxes shows large relative errors, and a method is presented to remedy this. Summertime longwave fluxes measured with the KZ CG3 show very good agreement with ventilated Eppley ... Abstract The quality of atmospheric radiation measurements made at automatic weather stations (AWSs) in Antarctica is assessed. The AWSs are placed on the coastal ice shelf in the katabatic wind zone and on the high Antarctic plateau, and they measure shortwave and longwave radiation fluxes using unheated/unventilated Kipp and Zonen (KZ) CM3/CG3 sensors. During three summertime Antarctic experiments, the AWS sensors were directly compared to instruments of a higher standard, the KZ CM11 for shortwave and Eppley PIR for longwave radiation. It was found that the single-domed KZ CM3 is less sensitive to riming than the double-domed KZ CM11. With an accuracy better than 5% for daily averages, the KZ CM3 and CG3 perform better than their specifications. Net shortwave radiation calculated from individual pairs of incoming and reflected fluxes shows large relative errors, and a method is presented to remedy this. Summertime longwave fluxes measured with the KZ CG3 show very good agreement with ventilated Eppley ...

Mass loss from glaciers and ice sheets currently accounts for two-thirds of the observed global sea-level rise and has accelerated since the 1990s, coincident with strong atmospheric warming in the polar regions. Here we present continuous GPS measurements and satellite synthetic-aperture-radar-based velocity maps from Basin-3, the largest drainage basin of the Austfonna ice cap, Svalbard. Our observations demonstrate strong links between surface-melt and multiannual ice-flow acceleration. We identify a hydro-thermodynamic feedback that successively mobilizes stagnant ice regions, initially frozen to their bed, thereby facilitating fast basal motion over an expanding area. By autumn 2012, successive destabilization of the marine terminus escalated in a surge of Basin-3. The resulting iceberg discharge of 4.2±1.6 Gt a−1 over the period April 2012 to May 2013 triples the calving loss from the entire ice cap. With the seawater displacement by the terminus advance accounted for, the related sea-level rise contribution amounts to 7.2±2.6 Gt a−1. This rate matches the annual ice-mass loss from the entire Svalbard archipelago over the period 2003–2008, highlighting the importance of dynamic mass loss for glacier mass balance and sea-level rise. The active role of surface melt, i.e. external forcing, contrasts with previous views of glacier surges as purely internal dynamic instabilities. Given sustained climatic warming and rising significance of surface melt, we propose a potential impact of the hydro-thermodynamic feedback on the future stability of ice-sheet regions, namely at the presence of a cold-based marginal ice plug that restricts fast drainage of inland ice. The possibility of large-scale dynamic instabilities such as the partial disintegration of ice sheets is acknowledged but not quantified in global projections of sea-level rise.