Abstract
We previously reported a notable warm bias in ERA5-Land soil temperature in permafrost regions that was supposedly being caused by an underestimation of the snow density. In this study, we implemented and evaluated a new multi-layer snow scheme in the land surface scheme of ERA5-Land, i.e., HTESSEL, with revised snow densification parametrizations. We compared permafrost soil temperatures from the numerical experiments with observations and the original ERA5-Land with a single layer snow scheme. The revised HTESSEL significantly improved the representation of soil temperature in permafrost regions compared to ERA5-Land. The daily warm bias in winter was reduced by about 0.6–3.0 °C, and the resulting modelled near-surface permafrost extent was improved (11.0–12.9 × 106 km2), comparing reasonably with observed estimates for continuous and discontinuous permafrost areas. We therefore suggest that a better-resolved snow scheme with a multi-layer snow profile should be included in next-generation reanalyses as a first step towards improving the representation of permafrost.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
