Assessment of the MAR regional climate model over the Antarctic Peninsula (1999 - 2009) through spaceborne enhanced spatial resolution melting maps and near-surface observations

We report results assessing the outputs of the regional climate model Modèle Atmosphérique Régionale (MAR) over the Antarctic peninsula for the period 1999 - 2009. Specifically, we compare maps of melt extent and duration generated by MAR with those obtained from the enhanced spatial resolution product (~ 5 km) distributed by the NASA Scatterometer Climate Record Pathfinder (SCP), at Brigham Young University (Utah, USA). Snowmelt is estimated from remote sensing observations using both a canonical threshold-based approach and a novel method based on wavelet methodology. MAR outputs are also evaluated against available surface observations (e.g., near-surface temperature, wind speed and direction, etc.). The additional effects of blowing snow upon the surface and energy balance can be uniquely explored by simulations in Antarctica (as compared to Greenland, for example). Because of this, as of the time of abstract submission, MAR is set up to run for a scenario with blowing snow as well as a scenario without blowing snow. Our final assessment will present the results of both, providing insight into the sensitivity of MAR outputs to the blowing snow model.