TC - recent papers

Extended seasonal prediction of Antarctic sea ice concentration using ANTSIC-UNet

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Extended seasonal prediction of Antarctic sea ice concentration using ANTSIC-UNet
Ziying Yang, Jiping Liu, Mirong Song, Yongyun Hu, Qinghua Yang, Ke Fan, Rune Grand Graversen, and Lu Zhou
The Cryosphere, 19, 6381–6402, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6381-2025, 2025
Antarctic sea ice has changed rapidly in recent years. Here we developed a deep learning model trained by multiple climate variables for extended seasonal Antarctic sea ice prediction. Our model shows high predictive skills up to 6 months in advance, particularly in predicting extreme events. It also shows skillful predictions at the sea ice edge and year-to-year sea ice changes. Variable importance analyses suggest what variables are more important for prediction at different lead times.

Monitoring Arctic permafrost – examining the contribution of volunteered geographic information to mapping ice-wedge polygons

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Monitoring Arctic permafrost – examining the contribution of volunteered geographic information to mapping ice-wedge polygons
Pauline Walz, Oliver Fritz, Sabrina Marx, Marlin M. Mueller, Christian Thiel, Josefine Lenz, Soraya Kaiser, Roxanne Frappier, Alexander Zipf, and Moritz Langer
The Cryosphere, 19, 6355–6379, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6355-2025, 2025
We explored how citizen scientists can help map changes in Arctic landscapes. Using a web tool we created, more than 100 volunteers contributed the approximate center points of particular ground patterns called ice-wedge polygons in aerial images from Alaska and Canada. Our work shows that the data created by volunteers can be used to reconstruct ice-wedge polygon networks and provide valuable insights on the state of frozen ground in the Arctic.

Iceberg influence on snow distribution and slush formation on Antarctic landfast sea ice from airborne multi-sensor observations

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Iceberg influence on snow distribution and slush formation on Antarctic landfast sea ice from airborne multi-sensor observations
Steven Franke, Mara Neudert, Veit Helm, Arttu Jutila, Océane Hames, Niklas Neckel, Stefanie Arndt, and Christian Haas
The Cryosphere, 19, 6319–6339, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6319-2025, 2025
Our research explored how icebergs affect the distribution of snow and flooding on Antarctic coastal sea ice. Using aircraft-based radar and laser scanning, we found that icebergs create thick snow drifts on their wind-facing sides and leave snow-free zones in their lee. The weight of these snow drifts often causes the ice below to flood, forming slush. These patterns, driven by wind and iceberg placement, are crucial for understanding sea ice changes and improving climate models.

Buoy measurements of strong waves in ice amplitude modulation: a signature of the impact of sea ice closedness on waves in ice attenuation

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Buoy measurements of strong waves in ice amplitude modulation: a signature of the impact of sea ice closedness on waves in ice attenuation
Jean Rabault, Trygve Halsne, Ana Carrasco, Anton Korosov, Joey Voermans, Patrik Bohlinger, Jens Boldingh Debernard, Malte Müller, Øyvind Breivik, Takehiko Nose, Gaute Hope, Fabrice Collard, Sylvain Herlédan, Tsubasa Kodaira, Nick Hughes, Qin Zhang, Kai Håkon Christensen, Alexander Babanin, Lars Willas Dreyer, Cyril Palerme, Lotfi Aouf, Konstantinos Christakos, Atle Jensen, Johannes Röhrs, Aleksey Marchenko, Graig Sutherland, Trygve Kvåle Løken, and Takuji Waseda
The Cryosphere, 19, 6229–6260, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6229-2025, 2025
We observe strongly modulated waves-in-ice significant wave height using buoys deployed East of Svalbard. We show that these observations likely cannot be explained by wave-current interaction or tide-induced modulation alone. We also demonstrate a strong correlation between the waves height modulation, and the rate of sea ice convergence. Therefore, our data suggest that the rate of sea ice convergence and divergence may modulate wave in ice energy dissipation.

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance for studying an englacial channel on Rhonegletscher (Switzerland): possibilities and limitations in a high-noise environment

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance for studying an englacial channel on Rhonegletscher (Switzerland): possibilities and limitations in a high-noise environment
Laura Gabriel, Marian Hertrich, Christophe Ogier, Mike Müller-Petke, Raphael Moser, Hansruedi Maurer, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 19, 6261–6281, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6261-2025, 2025
Surface nuclear magnetic resonance (SNMR) is a geophysical technique directly sensitive to liquid water. We expand the limited applications of SNMR on glaciers by detecting water within Rhonegletscher, Switzerland. By carefully processing the data to reduce noise, we identified signals indicating a water layer near the base of the glacier, surrounded by ice with low water content. Our findings, validated by radar measurements, show SNMR's potential and limitations in studying water in glaciers.

Updated monthly and new daily bias correction for assimilation-based passive microwave SWE retrieval

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Updated monthly and new daily bias correction for assimilation-based passive microwave SWE retrieval
Pinja Venäläinen, Colleen Mortimer, Kari Luojus, Lawrence Mudryk, Matias Takala, and Jouni Pulliainen
The Cryosphere, 19, 6301–6318, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6301-2025, 2025
Satellite data-based estimation of large snow water equivalent (SWE) values can be improved with bias correction. This study updates the bias correction method by using updated snow course data, extending correction to two new months. Additionally, bias correction is expanded from a monthly to a daily time scale. The daily bias correction offers more accurate hemispheric snow mass estimation, aligning well with reanalysis data.

Unprecedent cave ice melt in the last 6100 years in the Central Pyrenees (A294 ice cave)

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Unprecedent cave ice melt in the last 6100 years in the Central Pyrenees (A294 ice cave)
Carlos Sancho, Ánchel Belmonte, Maria Leunda, Marc Luetscher, Christoph Spötl, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, Belén Oliva-Urcia, Jerónimo López-Martínez, Ana Moreno, and Miguel Bartolomé
The Cryosphere, 19, 6283–6300, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6283-2025, 2025
Ice caves, vital for paleoclimate studies, face rapid ice loss due to global warming. A294 cave, home to the oldest firn deposit (6100 years BP), shows rising air temperatures (1.07–1.56 °C in 12 years), fewer freezing days, and melting rates (15–192 cm/year). Key factors include warmer winters, increased rainfall, and reduced snowfall. This study highlights the urgency of recovering data from these unique ice archives before they vanish forever.

Regime-dependence when constraining a sea ice model with observations: lessons from a single-column perspective

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Regime-dependence when constraining a sea ice model with observations: lessons from a single-column perspective
Molly M. Wieringa and Cecilia M. Bitz
The Cryosphere, 19, 6207–6227, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6207-2025, 2025
Integrating observations into complex sea ice models improves model estimates, but the impact of specific kinds of observations may vary in space and time. By modeling sea ice at single locations, this work quantifies the impact of four different observation kinds on sea ice at three characteristic locations in the Arctic. The results indicate that this simplified experimental framework is a useful tool for developing methods to meld new and existing observations with modern sea ice models.

Sensitivity of Totten Glacier dynamics to sliding parameterizations and ice shelf basal melt rates

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Sensitivity of Totten Glacier dynamics to sliding parameterizations and ice shelf basal melt rates
Yiliang Ma, Liyun Zhao, Rupert Gladstone, Thomas Zwinger, Michael Wolovick, Junshun Wang, and John C. Moore
The Cryosphere, 19, 6187–6205, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6187-2025, 2025
Totten Glacier in Antarctica holds a sea level potential of 3.85 m. Basal sliding and sub-shelf melt rate have an important impact on ice sheet dynamics. We simulate the evolution of Totten Glacier using an ice flow model with different basal sliding parameterizations and sub-shelf melt rates to quantify their effect on the projections. We found that the modelled glacier retreat and mass loss are sensitive to the choice of basal sliding parameterizations and maximal sub-shelf melt rate.

Seasonal drainage-system evolution beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet inferred from transient speed-up events

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Seasonal drainage-system evolution beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet inferred from transient speed-up events
Grace Gjerde, Mark D. Behn, Laura A. Stevens, Sarah B. Das, and Ian Joughin
The Cryosphere, 19, 6149–6169, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6149-2025, 2025
We characterize the magnitude and variability of transient speed-ups across a Global Positioning System (GPS) array in western Greenland in 2011 and 2012. While we find no relationship between speed-up and runoff, late-season events have larger speed-up amplitudes and are more spatially uniform compared to early season events. These results reflect an evolution toward a less efficient drainage system late in the melt season, with a pervasive system of open surface-to-bed conduits.

Characteristics of snowpack chemistry on the coastal region in the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet facing the North Water

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Characteristics of snowpack chemistry on the coastal region in the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet facing the North Water
Yutaka Kurosaki, Sumito Matoba, Mai Matsumoto, Tetsuhide Yamasaki, Ilannguaq Hendriksen, and Yoshinori Iizuka
The Cryosphere, 19, 6171–6186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6171-2025, 2025
We conducted snow observations on the coastal region in the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet close to the North Water. The snowpack on the coastal region in the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet contained aerosols originated from ocean biological activity and frost flowers in the North Water. The chemical substances in an ice core from the coastal region in the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet could help explain past changes in ocean biological and sea ice conditions in the North Water.

Object-based ensemble estimation of snow depth and snow water equivalent over multiple months in Sodankylä, Finland

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Object-based ensemble estimation of snow depth and snow water equivalent over multiple months in Sodankylä, Finland
David Brodylo, Lauren V. Bosche, Ryan R. Busby, Elias J. Deeb, Thomas A. Douglas, and Juha Lemmetyinen
The Cryosphere, 19, 6127–6148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6127-2025, 2025
We combined field-based snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements, remote sensing data, and machine learning to estimate snow depth and SWE over a 10 km2 local scale area in Sodankylä, Finland. Associations were found for snow depth and SWE with carbon- and mineral-based forest surface soils, alongside dry and wet peatbogs. This approach to upscale field-based snow depth and SWE measurements to a local scale can be used in regions that regularly experience snowfall.

How flat is flat? Investigating snow topography and the spatial variability of snow surface temperature on landfast sea ice using UAVs in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

How flat is flat? Investigating snow topography and the spatial variability of snow surface temperature on landfast sea ice using UAVs in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica
Julia Martin, Ruzica Dadic, Brian Anderson, Roberta Pirazzini, Oliver Wigmore, and Lauren Vargo
The Cryosphere, 19, 6103–6126, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6103-2025, 2025
This study examines how snow distribution affects Antarctic sea ice surface temperature, a key factor in its energy balance. Using drone and ground-based data, we mapped snow depth and surface temperature on 2.4 m thick sea ice in McMurdo Sound. We corrected thermal camera inconsistencies and found that surface temperature is more influenced by topography-driven solar radiation than snow depth. Our findings highlight the need to account for small-scale processes in sea ice energy balance models.

SnoTATOS: a low-cost, autonomous system for distributed snow depth measurements on sea ice

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

SnoTATOS: a low-cost, autonomous system for distributed snow depth measurements on sea ice
Ian A. Raphael, Donald K. Perovich, Christopher M. Polashenski, and Robert L. Hawley
The Cryosphere, 19, 6059–6076, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6059-2025, 2025
Snow plays competing roles in the sea ice cycle by reflecting sunlight during summer (reducing melt) and insulating the ice from the cold atmosphere during winter (reducing growth). Observing where, when, and how much snow accumulates on sea ice is thus central to understanding the Arctic. Here, we describe a new snow depth observation system that is substantially cheaper and lighter than existing tools and present a study demonstrating its potential to improve snow measurements on sea ice.

Automatic detection of Arctic polynyas using hybrid supervised-unsupervised deep learning

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Automatic detection of Arctic polynyas using hybrid supervised-unsupervised deep learning
Céline Heuzé and Carmen Hau Man Wong
The Cryosphere, 19, 6043–6058, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6043-2025, 2025
Polynyas are areas with no- or thin-ice within the ice pack. They play a crucial role for the Earth system, yet their monitoring in the Arctic is challenging because polynya detection is non-trivial. We here demonstrate that polynyas can successfully be detected with a novel, machine-learning based method. In fact, we argue that they are better detected than with traditional methods, which seem to fail as sea ice decreases because of climate change.

Evaluation of wet snow dielectric mixing models for L-band radiometric measurement of liquid water content in Greenland's percolation zone

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Evaluation of wet snow dielectric mixing models for L-band radiometric measurement of liquid water content in Greenland's percolation zone
Alamgir Hossan, Andreas Colliander, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Joel Harper, Lauren Andrews, Jana Kolassa, Julie Z. Miller, and Richard Cullather
The Cryosphere, 19, 6077–6102, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6077-2025, 2025
Microwave L-band radiometry offers a promising new tool for estimating the total surface-to-subsurface liquid water amount (LWA) in the snow and firn in polar ice sheets. An accurate modelling of wet snow effective permittivity is a key to this. Here, we evaluated the performance of ten commonly used microwave dielectric mixing models for estimating LWA in the percolation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet to help an appropriate choice of dielectric mixing model for LWA retrieval algorithms.

Subglacial hydrology regulates oscillations in marine ice streams

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Subglacial hydrology regulates oscillations in marine ice streams
Marianne Haseloff, Ian J. Hewitt, and Richard F. Katz
The Cryosphere, 19, 5939–5957, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5939-2025, 2025
We combine models for marine ice sheets (which terminate in the ocean) and water flux at the ice–bed interface. The coupled system evolves dynamically due to a positive feedback between ice flow, heat dissipation at the ice stream bed, and basal lubrication. Our results show that, depending on the hydraulic properties of the bed, distinct dynamic regimes can be identified. These regimes include steady streaming, hydraulically controlled oscillations, and thermally controlled oscillations.

Seasonal evolution of snow density and its impact on thermal regime of sea ice during the MOSAiC expedition

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Seasonal evolution of snow density and its impact on thermal regime of sea ice during the MOSAiC expedition
Yubing Cheng, Bin Cheng, Roberta Pirazzini, Amy R. Macfarlane, Timo Vihma, Wolfgang Dorn, Ruzica Dadic, Martin Schneebeli, Stefanie Arndt, and Annette Rinke
The Cryosphere, 19, 6001–6021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6001-2025, 2025
We study snow density from the MOSAiC expedition. Several snow density schemes were tested and compared with observation. A thermodynamic ice model was employed to assess the impact of snow density and precipitation on the thermal regime of sea ice. The parameterized mean snow densities are consistent with observations. Increased snow density reduces snow and ice temperatures, promoting ice growth, while increased precipitation leads to warmer snow and ice temperatures and reduced ice thickness.

Future changes in Antarctic near-surface winds: regional variability and key drivers under a high-emission scenario

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Future changes in Antarctic near-surface winds: regional variability and key drivers under a high-emission scenario
Cécile Davrinche, Anaïs Orsi, Charles Amory, Christoph Kittel, and Cécile Agosta
The Cryosphere, 19, 6023–6042, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6023-2025, 2025
We analyse changes in Antarctic winter surface winds projected by 4 models. Depending on the area and model, changes on the continent by 2100 reveal opposing trends. Nevertheless, models agree on a strengthening of surface winds in Adélie Land for example and a weakening in some other areas such as the Amundsen region. We attribute the strengthening of near-surface winds to changes in the large-sale atmospheric circulation and the weakening to changes in the structure of the lower atmosphere.

Temporal and vertical changes in snow microbial communities during the melting season below canopy in Northern Japan

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 13:02:25 +0100

Temporal and vertical changes in snow microbial communities during the melting season below canopy in Northern Japan
Masato Ono, Kino Kobayashi, Daiki Seto, Fuki Konishi, Kaito Wada, Suzunosuke Usuba, and Nozomu Takeuchi
The Cryosphere, 19, 5983–5999, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5983-2025, 2025
We described the temporal and vertical changes in biological communities, including snow algae, microinvertebrates, and snow fungi, within snowpacks in Northern Japan. Temporal changes in microbial activity, showing clear shifts across three defined periods of the melting season, were regulated by snow depth, temperature increase, and the phenology of trees above the snow surface, highlighting the complex interplay between physical and biological factors in shaping snow ecosystems.