Tax et al. (2026) Impact of blowing snow on the surface radiation balance near the western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Identification

• Journal: ˜The œcryosphere
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-10-01
• Authors: Samuel M. Tax, Maurice van Tiggelen, Thirza N. Feenstra, Paul C. J. P. Smeets, Srinidhi Nagarada Gadde, Christiaan T. van Dalum, Willem Jan van de Berg, M. R. van den Broeke
• DOI: 10.5194/tc-20-5609-2026

Research Groups

• Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, the Netherlands
• Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, Twente University, Enschede, the Netherlands
• Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, the Netherlands

Short Summary

This study investigates the impact of blowing snow on the surface radiation balance near the western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet using the regional climate model RACMO2.4p1 and observational data from site S10. The results indicate that blowing snow enhances longwave emissivity and reduces shortwave transmissivity, leading to a mean increase of 5.8 Wm−2 in downwelling longwave radiation and a mean decrease of 1.2 Wm−2 in downwelling shortwave radiation.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of blowing snow on the surface radiation balance near the western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local scale, with a focus on site S10 near the western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet
• Temporal Scale: Hourly to daily time scales, with a focus on the period between 6 September 2012 and 7 October 2012

Methodology and Data

• Models used: RACMO2.4p1, PIEKTUK-D (blowing snow model), ecRad-1.4.1 (radiation scheme)
• Data sources: Observations from site S10, including blowing snow transport fluxes, sublimation rates, temperature, relative humidity, and surface radiation fluxes

Main Results

• Blowing snow enhances longwave emissivity and reduces shortwave transmissivity, leading to a mean increase of 5.8 Wm−2 in downwelling longwave radiation and a mean decrease of 1.2 Wm−2 in downwelling shortwave radiation
• The radiative effects of blowing snow are more pronounced during clear-sky conditions

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the impact of blowing snow on the surface radiation balance near the western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is essential for improving climate model projections and understanding the role of blowing snow in shaping the local climate.

Funding

• This research was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under grant agreement number 724090.

Citation

@article{Tax2026Impact,
  author = {Tax, Samuel M. and Tiggelen, Maurice van and Feenstra, Thirza N. and Smeets, Paul C. J. P. and Gadde, Srinidhi Nagarada and Dalum, Christiaan T. van and Berg, Willem Jan van de and Broeke, M. R. van den},
  title = {Impact of blowing snow on the surface radiation balance near the western margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet},
  journal = {˜The œcryosphere},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.5194/tc-20-5609-2026},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5609-2026}
}