Ice and Climate: Polar climate modelling

Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO2)

Ice and Climate:
Polar climate modelling

Introduction

RACMO2.3

RACMO2.1

RACMO1

Archive

Helsen et al., 2013

Over the years, RACMO has been applied to Antarctica, Greenland and some other glacierized regions for different time periods. Below is an overview of the different regions we studied and what model version we used. The most recent runs for which data is available are listed on our data site (link).

RACMO2.3

Antarctica

Name:	*RACMO2.3p1 ANT27/2*
Resolution:	27.5 km (0.25°), 262 x 240 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctic continent
Period:	1979-2014
Forcing:	ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Van Wessem et al., 2014. Improved representation of East Antarctica surface mass balance in a regional climate model. J. Glac., 60(222), 761-770, doi: 10.3189/2014JoG14J051.

Name:	*RACMO2.3p1 ANT5.5/DML*
Resolution:	5.5 km (0.05°), 456 x 330 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctica Dronning Maud Land
Period:	1979-2012
Forcing:	ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Lenaerts et al., 2013. Recent snowfall anomalies in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, in a historical and future climate perspective. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, doi: 10.1002/grl.50559.

Name:	*RACMO2.3p1 ANT5.5/Pen*
Resolution:	5.5 km (0.05°), 330 x 294 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctic Peninsula
Period:	1979-2013
Forcing:	ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Van Wessem, et al., 2015. The modelled surface mass balance of the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5 km horizontal resolution. The Cryosphere, 10, 271-285. doi: 10.5194/tc-10-271-2016.

Greenland

Name:	*RACMO2.3p1 GRIS11/3*
Resolution:	11 km (0.1°), 306 x 312 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Greenland Ice Sheet
Period:	1979-2014
Forcing:	ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Noël, B. et al., 2015. Evaluation of the updated regional climate model RACMO2.3: summer snowfall impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Cryosphere, 9, 1831-1844, doi:10.5194/tc-9-1831-2015.

Ice Caps

Name:	*RACMO2.3p1 PAT5.5*
Resolution:	5.5 km (0.05°), 330 x 254 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Patagonian Ice Fields
Period:	1979-2013
Forcing:	ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Lenaerts et al., 2014. Extreme precipitation and climate gradients in Patagonia revealed by high-resolution regional atmospheric climate modelling. J. Clim., 27, 4607-4621, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00579.1.

RACMO2.1

Antarctica

Name:	*RACMO2.1 ANT27*
Resolution:	27.5 km (0.25°), 262 x 240 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctic continent
Period:	1979-2013
Forcing:	ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Lenaerts et al., 2012. A new, high-resolution surface mass balance map of Antarctica (1979-2010) based on regional atmospheric climate modeling. Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L04501, doi:10.1029/2011GL050713.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 ANT5.5/TAD*
Resolution:	5.5 km (0.05°), 306 x 306 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctica Terre Adèlie land
Period:	2009
Forcing:	ANT27
Key publication:	Lenaerts et al., 2012. Impact of model resolution on simulated wind, drifting snow and surface mass balance in Terre Adélie, East Antarctica. J. Glaciol., 58(211), 821-829, doi:10.3189/2012JoG12J020.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 ANT5.5/PTW*
Resolution:	5.5 km (0.05°), ?? x ?? points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctica Pine Island/Twaites glacier area
Period:	1979-2013
Forcing:	ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Medley et al., 2013. Airborne-radar and ice-core observations of annual snow accumulation over Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica confirm the spatiotemporal variability of global and regional atmospheric models. Geophys. Res. Lett, doi: 10.1002/grl.50706.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 ANT55/ECH*
Resolution:	55 km (0.5°), 134 x 122 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctic continent
Period:	1980-2099
Forcing:	ECHAM5, A1B + E1 scenarios
Key publication:	Ligtenberg et al., 2013. Future surface mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet and its influence on sea level change, simulated by a regional atmospheric climate model, Clim. Dyn., doi: 10.1007/s00382-013-1749-1.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 ANT55/HAD*
Resolution:	55 km (0.5°), 134 x 122 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Antarctic continent
Period:	1980-2199
Forcing:	HadCM3, A1B + E1 scenarios
Key publication:	Ligtenberg et al., 2013. Future surface mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet and its influence on sea level change, simulated by a regional atmospheric climate model, Clim. Dyn., doi: 10.1007/s00382-013-1749-1.

Greenland

Name:	*RACMO2.1 GRIS11/2*
Resolution:	11 km (0.1°), 306 x 312 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Greenland Ice Sheet
Period:	1960-2011
Forcing:	ERA-40 + ERA-Interim
Key publication:	Van Angelen et al., 2013. Contemporary (1960–2012) evolution of the climate and surface mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet, Surveys of Geophysics, doi: 10.1007/s10712-013-9261-z.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 GRIS18/EEM*
Resolution:	18 km (0.165°), 206 x 264 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Greenland Ice Sheet
Period:	Eemian, 30 year
Forcing:	ECHO-G
Key publication:	Van de Berg et al., 2011. Significant contribution of insolation to Eemian melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Nat. Geosci., doi: 10.1038/NGEO1245.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 GRIS18/PRE*
Resolution:	18 km (0.165°), 206 x 264 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Greenland Ice Sheet
Period:	Pre Industrial, 30 year
Forcing:	ECHO-G
Key publication:	Van de Berg et al., 2011. Significant contribution of insolation to Eemian melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Nat. Geosci., doi: 10.1038/NGEO1245.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 GRIS11/FUT*
Resolution:	11 km (0.1°), 306 x 312 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Greenland Ice Sheet
Period:	1971-2100
Forcing:	HadGEM2-ES, RCP4.5 scenario
Key publication:	Van Angelen et al., 2013. Rapid loss of firn pore space accelerates 21st century Greenland mass loss. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, doi:10.1002/grl.50490.

Name:	*RACMO2.1 GRIS11*
Resolution:	11 km (0.1°), 246 x 312 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Greenland Ice Sheet
Period:	1958-2008
Forcing:	ERA-40 + ECMWF operational analyses
Key publication:	Ettema et al., 2009. Higher surface mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet revealed by high-resolution climate modeling, Geophys. Res. Lett. 36, L12501, doi:10.1029/2009GL038110.

Ice Caps

Name:	*RACMO2.1 CAN11*
Resolution:	11 km (0.1°), 306 x 312 points, 40 levels
Domain:	Canadian Arctic
Period:	1960-2011
Forcing:	ERA-40 + ERA-Interim (from 1989 onwards)
Key publication:	Lenaerts et al., 2013. Irreversible mass loss of Canadian Arctic Archipelago glaciers. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, doi:10.1002/grl.50214.

RACMO1

Antarctica

Name:	*RACMO1 ANT55*
Resolution:	55 km (0.5°), 122 x 130 points, 20 levels
Domain:	Antarctic continent
Period:	1979-1994
Forcing:	ERA-15
Key publication:	Van Lipzig et al., 2002. The spatial and temporal variability of the surface mass balance in Antarctica: results from a regional climate model. Int. J. Climatol., 22, 1197-1217.

Name:	*RACMO1 ANT14*
Resolution:	14 km (0.13°), ?? x ?? points, 20 levels
Domain:	Antarctic Peninsula
Period:	1980-2199
Forcing:	ERA-15
Key publication:	Van Lipzig et al., 2004. Precipitation, sublimation, and snow drift in the Antarctic Peninsula region from a regional atmospheric model. J. Geophys. Res., 109, D24106, doi:10.1029/2004JD004701.