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October 27, 2003
Seattle, Washington, USA

Direct Observation of Winter Sublimation and its Effects on the Arctic Climate

Yoshinobu Harazono¹, Walter C. Oechel², Akira Miyata³, Masayoshi Mano^4
1International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska FaIRBANKS, 930 Koyukuk DR., Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-5515, Fax 907-474-1578, y.harazono@uaf.edu
²Global Change Research Group, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA, Phone 619-594-6613, Fax 619-594-7831, oechel@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
³Ecosystem Gas Exchange Team, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Kannondai 3-1-3, Tsukuba , JAPAN, Tsukuba, 305-8604, Japan, Phone 81-29-838-8207, Fax 81-29-838-8211, amiyat@niaes.affrc.go.jp
⁴National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-3-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba, 305-8604, Japan, Phone 81-29-838-8239, mmano@niaes.affrc.go.jp

Snow sublimation is a key factor affecting arctic climate and hydrology, but the mechanism has been poorly understood, especially winter processes. Improved accuracy in representing snow sublimation is crucial to reveal arctic climate and hydrology and accurately modeling arctic climate.

Since Spring, 1999, we have been measuring fluxes and micrometeorology at Barrow Alaska. We detected large episodes of sensible, latent heats and CO₂ fluxes from the tundra surface to the atmosphere during blizzard in mid-winter, which is the first direct measurement of winter sublimation. Winter sublimation occurred when wind speed over 6 m/s with temperature below -15°C, and the fluxes increased with cubic of wind speed. The maximal latent heat flux reached 320 Wm-2 and the total released energy was 540 Wm-2, respectively. The upward fluxes continued over 48 hours and the sensible and latent heat fluxes reached 12 and 16 MJ m-2, respectively. The latent heat flux was equivalent to 5.7 mm of water depth of snow sublimation. The released energy through the observed sublimation amounted to 82 MJ m-2 ( averages 5.3 W) between November 2000 to March 2001, which allows to increase arctic temperature around 0.15°C.

Therefore, the energy input to the arctic plain (ice surfaces of land and sea) through winter sublimation is important to climate and its modeling in the Arctic.

Abstract Categories: Changes on Land

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