Vertical and horizontal distribution of submicron aerosol chemical composition and physical characteristics across northern India during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-19-5615-2019 30 April 2019 Our study, for the first time, presents measurements of aerosol chemical composition and physical characteristics across northern India in the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons of 2016 using the FAAM BAe-146 UK research aircraft. Across northern India, an elevated aerosol layer dominated by sulfate aerosol exists that diminishes with monsoon arrival. The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) boundary layer is dominated by organics, whereas outside the IGP sulfate dominates with increased scattering aerosol. Read more
Controls on spatial and temporal variability in streamflow and hydrochemistry in a glacierized catchment Hydrology and Earth System Sciences DOI 10.5194/hess-23-2041-2019 24 April 2019 Hydrometric and geochemical dynamics are controlled by interplay of meteorological conditions, topography and geological heterogeneity. Nivo-meteorological indicators (such as global solar radiation, temperature and decreasing snow depth) explain monthly conductivity and isotopic dynamics best. These insights are important for better understanding hydrochemical responses of glacierized catchments under a changing cryosphere. Read more
Winter tourism under climate change in the Pyrenees and the French Alps: relevance of snowmaking as a technical adaptation The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1325-2019 24 April 2019 This study investigates the snow reliability of 175 ski resorts in the Pyrenees (France, Spain and Andorra) and the French Alps under past and future conditions (1950–2100) using state-of-the-art climate projections and snowpack modelling accounting for snow management, i.e. grooming and snowmaking. The snow reliability of ski resorts shows strong elevation and regional differences, and our study quantifies changes in snow reliability induced by snowmaking under various climate scenarios. Read more
Uncertainty quantification of the multi-centennial response of the Antarctic ice sheet to climate change The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1349-2019 24 April 2019 Using probabilistic methods, we quantify the uncertainty in the Antarctic ice-sheet response to climate change over the next millennium under the four RCP scenarios and parametric uncertainty. We find that the ice sheet is stable in RCP 2.6 regardless of parametric uncertainty, while West Antarctica undergoes disintegration in RCP 8.5 almost regardless of parametric uncertainty. We also show a high sensitivity of the ice-sheet response to uncertainty in sub-shelf melting and sliding conditions. Read more
ESD Ideas: Propagation of high-frequency forcing to ice age dynamics Earth System Dynamics DOI 10.5194/esd-10-257-2019 24 April 2019 We demonstrate here that nonlinear character of ice sheet dynamics, which was derived naturally from the conservation laws, is an effective means for propagating high-frequency forcing upscale. Read more
Modelling the future evolution of glaciers in the European Alps under the EURO-CORDEX RCM ensemble The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1125-2019 9 April 2019 Glaciers in the European Alps play an important role in the hydrological cycle, act as a source for hydroelectricity and have a large touristic importance. We model the future evolution of all glaciers in the Alps with a novel model that combines both ice flow and melt processes. We find that under a limited warming scenario about one-third of the present-day ice volume will still be present by the end of the century, while under strong warming more than 90 % of the volume will be lost by 2100. Read more
A new description of probability density distributions of polar mesospheric clouds Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-19-4685-2019 8 April 2019 In this paper we present a new description of statistical probability density functions (pdfs) of polar mesospheric clouds (PMC). We derive a new class of pdfs that describes successfully the probability statistic of ALOMAR lidar observations of different ice parameters. As a main advantage the new method allows us to connect different observational PMC distributions of lidar and satellite data, and also to compare with distributions from ice model studies. Read more
Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 4 April 2019 We studied the stability of ice wedges (massive bodies of ground ice in permafrost) under recent climatic conditions in the Lena River delta of northern Siberia. For this we used a novel modelling approach that takes into account lateral transport of heat, water, and snow and the subsidence of the ground surface due to melting of ground ice. We found that wetter conditions have a destabilizing effect on the ice wedges and associated our simulation results with observations from the study area. Read more
Terrainbento 1.0: a Python package for multi-model analysis in long-term drainage basin evolution Geoscientific Model Development DOI 10.5194/gmd-12-1267-2019 3 April 2019 Terrainbento 1.0 is a Python package for modeling the evolution of the surface of the Earth over geologic time (e.g., thousands to millions of years). Despite many decades of effort by the geomorphology community, there is no one established governing equation for the evolution of topography. Terrainbento 1.0 thus provides 28 alternative models that support hypothesis testing and multi-model analysis in landscape evolution. Read more
Permafrost nitrous oxide emissions observed on a landscape scale using the airborne eddy-covariance method Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics DOI 10.5194/acp-19-4257-2019 3 April 2019 As frozen soil, called permafrost, increasingly thaws over the years, scientists have put much effort into understanding how this may increase carbon emissions, which would exacerbate climate change. Our work supports the emerging view that these efforts should also include nitrous oxide (N2O), a more potent greenhouse gas. Using a low-flying aircraft to study thousands of acres of Alaskan permafrost, we observed average N2O emissions higher than typically assumed for regions such as this. Read more