Greenland, Warming Events, and Clouds, A Spatial Analysis of Extreme Events
Abstract
Arctic temperatures are strongly coupled to clouds but spatial connections between clouds and temperature have yet to be established across Greenland. By mapping spaceborne lidar measurements andsurface observations, we show that radiatively opaque clouds coincide with anomalously warm temperatures at Greenland surface sites. These results indicate that temperatures over 0C, as well as positive dailytemperature anomalies relate to spatially extensive opaque cloud cover and extreme events. While prior studies indicate clouds enhance extreme melt events, this research shows that routine opaque cloud cover and surface warming areclosely related across the Greenland ice sheet, particularly in the ablation region. These findings establish the broad variability in opaque cloud processes and demonstrate the importance of direct observations across Greenland. Further, they characterize the evolution of extreme melt events and their connections to synoptic weather patterns. The final segment of the talk with contextualize these results and discuss the broader need for synthesized collaborative research on this topic.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2022
- Bibcode:
- 2022AGUFM.C13B..06G