Simulating Impacts of Precipitation on Ice Cover and Surface Water Temperature Across Large Lakes
Fujisaki-Manome, A.; Anderson, E. J.; Kessler, J. A.; Chu, P. Y.; Wang, J.; Gronewold, A. D.
2020-05
Citation
Fujisaki-Manome, A.; Anderson, E. J.; Kessler, J. A.; Chu, P. Y.; Wang, J.; Gronewold, A. D. (2020). "Simulating Impacts of Precipitation on Ice Cover and Surface Water Temperature Across Large Lakes." Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 125(5): n/a-n/a.
Abstract
Precipitation impacts on ice cover and water temperature in the Laurentian Great Lakes were examined using state‐of‐the‐art coupled ice‐hydrodynamic models. Numerical experiments were conducted for the recent anomalously cold (2014–2015) and warm (2015–2016) winters that were accompanied by high and low ice coverage over the lakes, respectively. The results of numerical experiments showed that snow cover on the ice, which is the manifestation of winter precipitation, reduced the total ice volume (or mean ice thickness) in all of the Great Lakes, shortened the ice duration, and allowed earlier warming of water surface. The reduced ice volume was due to the thermal insulation of snow cover. The surface albedo was also increased by snow cover, but its impact on the delay the melting of ice was overcome by the thermal insulation effect. During major snowstorms, snowfall over the open lake caused notable cooling of the water surface due to latent heat absorption. Overall, the sensible heat flux from rain in spring and summer was found to have negligible impacts on the water surface temperature. Although uncertainties remain in overlake precipitation estimates and model’s representation of snow on the ice, this study demonstrated that winter precipitation, particularly snowfall on the ice and water surfaces, is an important contributing factor in Great Lakes ice production and thermal conditions from late fall to spring.Plain Language SummarySnow and rain impact on ice cover and water temperature in large lakes were studied using a computational model for an example of the Laurentian Great Lakes. It was found that snow cover increased the reflection of solar radiation but at the same time prevented lake ice from the growing, resulting in less formation of ice and slightly earlier melting. The earlier ice melting also allowed earlier warming of the water surface in spring. Major snowstorms caused slight cooling in the water surface temperature because snowflakes absorbed heat when it touched the water surface to melt. On the other hand, warmer rain barely changed the water surface temperature during summer.Key PointsPrecipitation impacts on Great Lakes ice cover and water temperature were evaluated using a coupled ice‐hydrodynamic modelThe model results showed that snow cover on the ice reduced the net production of ice, which resulted in earlier decay of ice coverThe model results showed that snowfall cooled the water surface notably through latent heat absorption during stormsPublisher
National Academies Press Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ISSN
2169-9275 2169-9291
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