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TitleControls on northern hemisphere snow albedo feedback quantified using satellite earth observations
 
AuthorFernandes, RORCID logo; Zhao, H; Wang, X; Key, J; Qu, X; Hall, A
SourceGeophysical Research Letters vol. 36, L21702, 2009., https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL040057 Open Access logo Open Access
Image
Year2009
Alt SeriesEarth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20110246
PublisherWiley-Blackwell
Documentserial
Lang.English
Mediapaper; on-line; digital
File formatpdf
Subjectsgeophysics; Nature and Environment; satellite geodesy; satellites; snow; modelling; models
Illustrationssatellite images
ProgramClimate Change Geoscience
Released2009 11 05
AbstractObservation based estimates of controls on snow albedo feedback (SAF) are needed to constrain the snow and albedo parameterizations in general circulation model (GCM) projections of air temperature over the Northern Hemisphere (NH) landmass. The total April-May NH SAF, corresponding to the sum of the effect of temperature on surface albedo over snow covered surfaces ('metamorphism') and over surfaces transitioning from snow covered to snow free conditions ('snow cover'), is derived with daily NH snow cover and surface albedo products using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Polar Pathfinder satellite data and surface air temperature from ERA40 reanalysis data between 1982 - 1999.Without using snow cover information, the estimated total SAF, for land surfaces north of 30°N, of -0.93 ± 0.06%K-1 was not significantly different (95% confidence) from estimates based on International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project surface albedo data. The SAF, constrained to only snow covered areas, grew to -1.06 ± 0.08%K-1 with similar magnitudes for the 'snow cover' and 'metamorphosis' components. The SAF pattern was significantly correlated with the 'snow cover' component pattern over both North America and Eurasia but only over Eurasia for the 'metamorphosis' component. However, in contrast to GCM model based diagnoses of SAF, the control on the 'snow cover' component related to the albedo contrast of snow covered and snow free surfaces was not strongly correlated to the total SAF.
GEOSCAN ID289412

 
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