Extent and duration of Antarctic surface melting

Abstract

The extent and duration of surface melting on the Antarctic ice shelves and margins of the Antarctic ice sheet are derived from satellite passive-microwave data for 1978–87. The occurrence of surface melting in daily maps of Tb is indicated by a marked increase in microwave brightness temperature (Tb), which is caused by moisture in the near-surface firn. Tb increases of more than 30 deg above the annual-mean Tb are chosen to indicate melting. Most Antarctic surface melting occurs during December and January. The observed melting is correlated with regional air temperatures, but some melt patterns also appear to be related to katabatic-wind effects. The correlations suggest that the surface melting in Antarctica increases about 3.5 × 106 d km2 per degree of summer temperature increase. The surface-melt index (duration times area of melting) calculated for Antarctica is 24 × 106 d km2, averaged over nine summers. The observed inter-annual and regional variability is large. Surface melting was most extensive during the 1982/83 summer (36 × 106 d km2) and least extensive during the 1985/86 summer (15 × 106d km2). The data indicate a decline in surface melting over the 9 years, but meaningful inferences regarding trends in surface melting are precluded by the large inter-annual variability.