Blowing Snow Contributes to Positive Surface Energy Budget and Negative Surface Mass Balance During a Melting Season of Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract

The impacts of blowing snow, a very common snow-air interactive process over Antarctica, are investigated with a snow/ice enhanced Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ice) model for the surface energy budget (SEB) and surface mass balance (SMB) modeling over the Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS), Antarctic Peninsula. The net effect of blowing snow on LCIS' SMB is negative, because the positive effect of enhanced precipitation, reduced surface sublimation, and blowing snow transport is more than compensated by the negative effect of blowing snow sublimation, enhanced surface melt, and runoff. In sum, blowing snow contributes to positive anomalies in LCIS' SEB and negative anomalies in SMB.