Decadal to seasonal variability of Arctic sea ice albedo

TL;DR

This study analyzes 23 years of Arctic satellite data to understand seasonal and interannual variability in sea ice albedo, revealing key transitions and the influence of ice thickness and edge dynamics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of Arctic sea ice albedo variability over 23 years, highlighting dominant factors affecting albedo changes and offering a framework for modeling.

Findings

High albedo in late winter and spring

Melt pond formation causes summer albedo decrease

Interannual variability driven by ice thickness and edge dynamics

Abstract

A controlling factor in the seasonal and climatological evolution of the sea ice cover is its albedo $\alpha$. Here we analyze Arctic data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Polar Pathfinder and assess the seasonality and variability of broadband albedo from a 23 year daily record. We produce a histogram of daily albedo over ice covered regions in which the principal albedo transitions are seen; high albedo in late winter and spring, the onset of snow melt and melt pond formation in the summer, and fall freeze up. The bimodal late summer distribution demonstrates the combination of the poleward progression of the onset of melt with the coexistence of perennial bare ice with melt ponds and open water, which then merge to a broad peak at $\alpha \gtrsim $ 0.5. We find the interannual variability to be dominated by the low end of the $\alpha$ distribution, highlighting the controlling influence of the ice thickness distribution and large-scale ice edge dynamics. The statistics obtained provide a simple framework for model studies of albedo parameterizations and sensitivities.