Small ice cap instability in the presence of fluctuations |
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| Authors: | Wan-Ho Lee GR North |
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| Institution: | (1) Climate System Research Program, Texas A&M University, 77843 College Station, TX, USA;(2) Present address: Climate Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, 92093 San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Phenomena associated with small ice cap instability (SICI) are investigated using a general circulation model (GCM: NCAR Community Climate Model version 0) and a noise-forced nonlinear energy balance model (EBM). Both make use of idealized boundary conditions consisting of an all-land planet without topography and mean annual insolation. Ice is prescribed to exist on surface areas for which the instantaneous temperature lies below freezing. The adjustable parameters of the EBM were chosen to match the GCM solutions. For the regions in parameter space where SICI might occur we do not find the corresponding icefree steady state solution with the GCM. Our simulations with the EBM show that SICI phenomena in the presence of fluctuations are strongly dependent on the amplitude of the noise forcing. When the strength of noise forcing is adjusted to match the fluctuations in the GCM, we do not find a SICI in the EBM. With weaker levels of forcing the SICI reappears. In all cases steady stable ice caps smaller than a critical size are not found to exist. |
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