Interannual variability in net accumulation on the Greenland Ice Sheet: Observations and implications for mass balance measurements
Issue Date
1999-01-27Author
van der Veen, Cornelis J.
Bolzan, J. F.
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Nine 24-year accumulation records from the Summit region in central Greenland are analyzed to separate the effects of spatial noise and interannual fluctuations on the variability in each core. The study shows that both processes are equally important, with standard deviations of 25 mm water equivalent per year and 24 mm water equivalent per year, respectively. A comparison with estimates of surface roughness based on high-resolution laser altimetry of the surface indicates that in the studied region the spatial noise can be reliably estimated from surface roughness. The response of the ice-sheet surface to the interannual fluctuations can be estimated using a simple zero-dimensional ice-sheet response model. For the Summit region of central Greenland, a change in surface elevation of ∼20 mm water equivalent per year measured over a 5-year period, can be attributed with 95% confidence to a trend in climate. This probability decreases rapidly as the observation period is shortened. For intervals greater than ∼5 year, the probability depends only weakly on the measurement interval. This suggests an optimum spacing of ∼5 years between repeat elevation measurements.
Description
This is the published version, also available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/1998JD200082.
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Citation
Van Der Veen, C. J. & Bolzan, J. F. "Interannual variability in net accumulation on the Greenland Ice Sheet: observations and implications for mass-balance measurements." Papers on Climate and Atmospheric Physics. (1999) 104, D2. 2007-2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/1998JD200082.
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