Analysis of Snow-Albedo feedback effect on boreal climate in Siberia

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K01230
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Geography
• Research Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: ABE Manabu 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 統合的気候変動予測研究分野, 技術副主任 (50377983)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 積雪 / 積雪アルベドフィードバック / シベリア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Using a climate model, we investigated the effect of large mountains such as the Tibetan Plateau on the climatic characteristics of snow in northern Eurasia, and the snow albedo effect on temperature fields. The presence of the Tibetan Plateau accelerates not only the spread of snow areas in eastern Siberia and northeast Asia during autumn, but also the retreat of snow areas in mid-latitudes north of the Tibetan Plateau such as Mongolia during spring. The snow albedo effect reduces greatly surface air temperature in Siberia in spring. However, since the clouds works to suppress the snow albedo effect, reduction of both hydrological cycle and cloud uncertainty over land should be important for future climate change research.

Free Research Field

気候学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年、地球温暖化の影響による北極域を中心とした高緯度域の気候変化が顕在しており、ユーラシア北部の積雪変化による日本の気象への影響も危惧されている。ユーラシア北部の積雪域の形成や積雪―アルベドフィードバック効果に関するメカニズムを理解することで、気候変動のメカニズムの理解向上を助けることができる上に、将来の気候変動予測を行う気候モデルの再現性の更なる向上を目的とした素過程の改良に貢献することできる。