Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3251
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3251
13 Nov 2024
 | 13 Nov 2024
Status: this preprint is open for discussion.

Assessing spatio-temporal variability of firn volume scattering over Greenland with satellite altimeters

Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, Bert Wouters, Cornelis Slobbe, Max Brils, and Xavier Fettweis

Abstract. In recent decades, satellite radar altimetry has been widely used to assess volume changes over the Greenland Ice Sheet. Especially, melt events result in drastic changes in volume scattering of firn, which induces a pronounced change in parameters derived from radar altimetry. Due to the recent and increasingly frequent melt events over Greenland, the impacts of these events on the firn condition i.e. formation of ice lenses and reduction of firn air content, need to be better understood. This study therefore exploits the ability of long-term CryoSat-2 data in indicating changes in firn volume scattering, in order to assess the spatio-temporal firn condition variations in Greenland. More specifically, this study utilises the leading edge width (LeW) parameter derived from CryoSat-2 Low Resolution Mode, which has been proven to be the parameter most sensitive to changes in volume scattering, and assesses its variation between January 2011 and August 2021. With a combined analysis of remote sensing observations, in situ observations and outputs from regional climate models, our study demonstrates that the LeW drop induced by extreme melt events in the interior of Greenland experiences a gradual recovery, which can potentially be explained by new snow deposition. However, in many high-elevation regions of Greenland where firn layers were originally dry, due to the recently recurring extensive melt, the firn volume scattering does not fully recover to the original state before the 2012 melt, indicating a long-lived increase in Greenland’s firn density in a changing climate. Finally, our study also confirms the capability of using radar altimeter data to monitor changes in volume scattering properties of firn in the long-term.

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Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, Bert Wouters, Cornelis Slobbe, Max Brils, and Xavier Fettweis

Status: open (until 10 Jan 2025)

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Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, Bert Wouters, Cornelis Slobbe, Max Brils, and Xavier Fettweis
Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, Bert Wouters, Cornelis Slobbe, Max Brils, and Xavier Fettweis

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Short summary
Due to the melt events in recent decades, the snow condition over Greenland has been changed. To observe this, we use a parameter (leading edge width; LeW) derived from satellite altimetry, and analyse its spatial and temporal variations. By comparing the LeW variations with modelled firn parameters, we concluded that the 2012 melt event has a long-lasting impact on the volume scattering of Greenland firn. This impact cannot fully recover due to the recent and more frequent melt events.