Impacts of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet melt on future Köppen climate zone changes simulated by an atmospheric and oceanic general circulation model

• Published in: TERI information digest on energy and environment Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 221 - 222
• Main Authors: Defrance, D, Catry, T, Rajaud, A, Dessay, N, Sultan, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi The Energy and Resources Institute 01.06.2020
• Subjects: Atmospheric circulation; Atmospheric models; Classification; Climate change; General circulation models; Global climate models; Ice; Ice sheets; Melting; Northern Hemisphere; Oceanic general circulation model; Polar environments; Simulation; Southern Hemisphere; Subgroups; Antarctica; Greenland
• ISSN: 0972-6721

In this study, the Köppen classification is used to evaluate the impacts of the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets on GCM (global climate model) simulation results on regional and global scales. To assess the impacts of accelerated ice sheet melting, an approach is utilized that is based on numerical simulations from the IPSL-CM5A-LR GCM; here, freshwater is introduced near the ice sheets and is superimposed on the RCP8.5 scenario. The changes in the distribution of the Köppen climatic regions under various scenarios (a historical run from observations, RCP8.5 and various examples of polar ice sheet melting) and comparisons between them reveal that major changes will occur on the global scale during the period 2041-2060. The analysis of group shifts within the Köppen classification system reveals that when freshwater from Greenland or Antarctica is introduced into the ocean, the inter-tropical belt undergoes greater change than it does under the RCP8.5 scenario. A focus on subgroup shifts within the Koppen classification system shows that changes in precipitation have major impacts on the climate in the Southern Hemisphere. Further, the changes are more drastic if the freshwater originates from Greenland than from Antarctica or from both locations. However, changes in temperature strongly impact the climate in the Northern Hemisphere and are significantly affected by the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. This study highlights the importance of considering ice sheet melting in the modeling of future global climate. (9 Figures, 76 References)