Impact of Atmospheric Rivers on the Arctic Surface Energy Budget
- 1Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Atmospheric Physics, Potsdam, Germany (sofie.tiedeck@awi.de)
- 2Leipzig Institute for Meteorology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- 3Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- 4CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Porto, Portugal
Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are long, narrow atmospheric structures which carry anomalously warm and moist air from lower latitudes into higher latitudes. Therefore, ARs are discussed to contribute to Arctic Amplification due to water vapor feedback and cloud-radiation processes. The detailed impact on the surface energy budget (SEB), however, is not fully understood.
We analyze the impact of ARs on the SEB of an early winter and spring case study, using ERA5 reanalysis data and model output from limited area simulations of ICON (ICON-LAM). Both cases show less energy loss of the surface compared to climatology, especially due to more downward longwave radiation and less upward sensible heat. The effect depends on the surface type, open ocean or sea ice. Next, we provide a climatological perspective on the impact of Atmospheric Rivers on the SEB based on ERA5.
How to cite: Tiedeck, S., Kirbus, B., Lauer, M., Crewell, S., Gorodetskaya, I., and Rinke, A.: Impact of Atmospheric Rivers on the Arctic Surface Energy Budget, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-15022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15022, 2023.
