Characterization of the Simulated Regional Snow Albedo Feedback Using a Regional Climate Model over Complex Terrain

Abstract

Abstract Midlatitude mountain regions are particularly sensitive to climate change because of an active snow albedo feedback (SAF). Here, the SAF is characterized and quantified over the complex terrain of the Colorado Headwaters region using high-resolution regional climate model simulations. A pair of 7-yr control and pseudo-global warming simulations is used to study the regional climate response to a large-scale thermodynamic climate perturbation. Warming is strongly enhanced in regions of snow loss by as much as 5°C. Linear feedback analysis is used to quantify the strength of the SAF within the Headwaters region. The strength of the SAF reaches a maximum value of 4 W m−2 K−1 during April when snow loss coincides with strong incoming solar radiation. Simulations using 4- and 12-km horizontal grid spacing show good agreement in the strength and timing of the SAF, whereas a 36-km simulation shows discrepancies that are tied to differences in snow accumulation and ablation caused by smoother terrain. Energy budget analysis shows that transport by atmospheric circulations acts as a negative feedback to regional warming, damping the effects of the SAF. On the mesoscale, the SAF nonlocally enhances warming in locations with no snow, and enhances snowmelt in locations that do not experience snow cover change. The methods presented here can be used generally to quantify the role of the SAF in simulated regional climate change, illuminating the causes of differences in climate warming between models and regions.