Regional modeling of surface mass balance on the Cook Ice Cap, Kerguelen Islands ($$49^{\circ }\mathrm{S}$$, $$69^{\circ }\mathrm{E}$$)

Abstract

We assess the ability of the regional circulation model MAR to represent the recent negative surface mass balance (SMB) observed over the Kerguelen Islands ( $$49^{\circ }\hbox {S}$$ , $$69^{\circ }\hbox {E}$$ ) and evaluate the uncertainties in SMB projections until the end of the century. The MAR model forced by ERA-Interim reanalysis shows a good agreement with meteorological observations at Kerguelen, particularly after slight adjustment of the forcing fields (+ 10% humidity, $$+\,0.8\, ^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ , all year round) to improve precipitation occurrence and intensity. The modeled SMB and surface energy balance (SEB) are also successfully evaluated with observations, and spatial distributions are explained as being largely driven by the elevation gradient and by the strong west to east foehn effect occurring on the ice cap. We select five general circulation models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) by evaluating their ability to represent temperature and humidity in the southern mid-latitudes over 1980–1999 with respect to ERA-Interim and use them to force the MAR model. These simulations fail to replicate SMB observations even when outputs from the best CMIP5 model (ACCESS1-3) are used as forcing because all GCMs fail in accurately reproducing the circulation changes observed at Kerguelen since the mid-1970s. Global models chosen to represent extreme values of SMB drivers also fail in producing extreme values of SMB, suggesting that more rigorous modeling of present and future circulation changes with GCMs is still needed to accurately assess future changes of the cryosphere in this area.