Large-scale characteristics of the distribution of blowing-snow sublimation

Abstract

AbstractTo consider the large-scale characteristics of blowing-snow sublimation and its importance in the hydrological cycle in the cryosphere, we investigated the sublimation of blowing snow particles on a global scale using the global datasets of the European Centre for Medium-RangeWeather Forecasts (ECMWF) re-analysis data and the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Initiative I data for 1987. The sublimation fluxes of blowing snow particles were estimated globally with 2.5˚ resolution at 6 hour intervals. We found that the sublimation of blowing snow particles occurs more widely in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere, does not increase monotonously with latitude, and becomes more active in the polar coast regions and highlands, although the annual mean sublimation fluxes of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are almost equal. In addition, we confirmed the characteristic seasonal changes in the area of sublimation in the Northern Hemisphere. Although we need to incorporate continuous parameters from systematic ground-based studies of the structure of blowing snow in specific fields to reduce uncertainty regarding the characteristics of blowing snow, our results point to a need to review the current understanding of the hydrological cycle.