Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023
Abstract Sea ice cools Earth by reducing its absorbed solar energy. We combine radiative transfer modeling with satellite‐derived surface albedo, sea ice, and cloud distributions to quantify the top‐of‐atmosphere sea ice radiative effect (SIRE). Averaged over 1980–2023, Arctic and Antarctic SIREs ra...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2024-07-01
|
| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109608 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849321366474457088 |
|---|---|
| author | A. Duspayev M. G. Flanner A. Riihelä |
| author_facet | A. Duspayev M. G. Flanner A. Riihelä |
| author_sort | A. Duspayev |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Sea ice cools Earth by reducing its absorbed solar energy. We combine radiative transfer modeling with satellite‐derived surface albedo, sea ice, and cloud distributions to quantify the top‐of‐atmosphere sea ice radiative effect (SIRE). Averaged over 1980–2023, Arctic and Antarctic SIREs range from −0.64 to −0.86 W m−2 and −0.85 to −0.98 W m−2, respectively, with different cloud data sets and assumptions of climatological versus annually‐varying clouds. SIRE trends, however, are relatively insensitive to these assumptions. Arctic SIRE has weakened quasi‐linearly at a rate of 0.04–0.05 W m−2 decade−1, implying a 21%–27% reduction in the reflective power of Arctic sea ice since 1980. Antarctic sea ice exhibited a regime change in 2016, resulting in 2016–2023 Antarctic and global SIRE being 0.08–0.12 and 0.22–0.27 W m−2 weaker, respectively, relative to 1980–1988. Global sea ice has therefore lost 13%–15% of its planetary cooling effect since the early/mid 1980s, and the implied global sea ice albedo feedback is 0.24–0.38 W m−2 K−1. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bbd1d2d05a4b43b6a3e8a7ff9aea3aef |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-bbd1d2d05a4b43b6a3e8a7ff9aea3aef2025-08-20T03:49:46ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-07-015114n/an/a10.1029/2024GL109608Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023A. Duspayev0M. G. Flanner1A. Riihelä2Department of Physics University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USADepartment of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USAFinnish Meteorological Institute Helsinki FinlandAbstract Sea ice cools Earth by reducing its absorbed solar energy. We combine radiative transfer modeling with satellite‐derived surface albedo, sea ice, and cloud distributions to quantify the top‐of‐atmosphere sea ice radiative effect (SIRE). Averaged over 1980–2023, Arctic and Antarctic SIREs range from −0.64 to −0.86 W m−2 and −0.85 to −0.98 W m−2, respectively, with different cloud data sets and assumptions of climatological versus annually‐varying clouds. SIRE trends, however, are relatively insensitive to these assumptions. Arctic SIRE has weakened quasi‐linearly at a rate of 0.04–0.05 W m−2 decade−1, implying a 21%–27% reduction in the reflective power of Arctic sea ice since 1980. Antarctic sea ice exhibited a regime change in 2016, resulting in 2016–2023 Antarctic and global SIRE being 0.08–0.12 and 0.22–0.27 W m−2 weaker, respectively, relative to 1980–1988. Global sea ice has therefore lost 13%–15% of its planetary cooling effect since the early/mid 1980s, and the implied global sea ice albedo feedback is 0.24–0.38 W m−2 K−1.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109608 |
| spellingShingle | A. Duspayev M. G. Flanner A. Riihelä Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023 Geophysical Research Letters |
| title | Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023 |
| title_full | Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023 |
| title_fullStr | Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023 |
| title_short | Earth's Sea Ice Radiative Effect From 1980 to 2023 |
| title_sort | earth s sea ice radiative effect from 1980 to 2023 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109608 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aduspayev earthsseaiceradiativeeffectfrom1980to2023 AT mgflanner earthsseaiceradiativeeffectfrom1980to2023 AT ariihela earthsseaiceradiativeeffectfrom1980to2023 |