Assigned Session: #AGM28: Generic Meeting Session
Drivers and impacts of the vertical structure of the troposphere at Villum Research Station, Northeast Greenland
Abstract ID: 28.7290 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | 2025-02-27 16:45 - 17:00 | Ágnes‐Heller‐Haus/Small Lecture Room
Jonathan Fipper (0)
Abermann, Jakob (1,2), Sasgen, Ingo (3), Schöner, Wolfgang (1,2)
Jonathan Fipper (1)
Abermann, Jakob (1,2), Sasgen, Ingo (3), Schöner, Wolfgang (1,2)
1
(1) Department of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, Heinrichstr. 36, 8010, Graz, AT
(2) Austrian Polar Research Institute (APRI), 1030 Wien, Austria
(3) Division of Geosciences, Glaciology Section, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
(2) Austrian Polar Research Institute (APRI), 1030 Wien, Austria
(3) Division of Geosciences, Glaciology Section, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
The vertical temperature structure controls atmospheric stability and is a key component for surface energy exchange. However, in situ data for validation of re-analysis data or process studies remain scarce in the Arctic. We collected 130 vertical temperature profiles up to 500 m above ground using uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) over different surface types (ice, snow-free tundra, open water) around the Villum Research Station (VRS) in Northeast Greenland. The VRS is adjacent to Flade Isblink, the largest peripheral ice cap in Greenland. To assess the accuracy of our approach, we conducted 50 ascents and descents next to a meteorological mast equipped with temperature sensors at 2 m, 8 m, 20 m and 80 m above ground. Our UAV-based approach shows good agreement with the mast, with about 90% of the measurements being within the sensor accuracy of 0.6°C. Furthermore, we find a robust agreement between the UAV data and the Copernicus Arctic Regional Reanalysis (CARRA) data set (mean absolute difference of 1°C; r= 0.59) depending on the prevailing wind direction. To understand the influence of different surface properties on the vertical temperature structures and their temporal changes, we focus on daily CARRA data for June, July and August between 1991 and 2024. We show that differences in air temperature between regions of snow-free tundra and glacier ice maximize in July, and find the maximum altitude up to which the atmosphere is significantly (α = 0.05) controlled by surface properties at about 100 m above ground. Next, we use K-means clustering to categorize temperature gradients above this threshold of 100 m and 500 m to analyze the associated large-scale atmospheric conditions. We are able to distinguish 5 clusters from the temperature gradients related to distinct patterns of large-scale atmospheric conditions of 850 hPa temperature and 500 hPa geopotential height. These preliminary results suggest that the temperature structures of the lowest 100 m of the troposphere are significantly controlled by surface properties and consequently by the fraction of snow cover in the tundra. Above 100 m, temperature gradients are driven by large-scale synoptic conditions. Finally, we study the effect of surface properties and large-scale circulation on the mass balance of the Flade Isblink ice cap using the Modèle Atmosphérique Régional (MAR).
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