Assessment of Greenland albedo variability from the advanced very high resolution radiometer Polar Pathfinder data set

The advanced very high resolution radiometer Polar Pathfinder (APP) data set is used to examine the variability of the surface albedo over Greenland. Analysis of the APP albedo record from 1981 to 1998 show anomalously low albedo during 1995 and 1998 over most of the ice sheet as compared with the other years. The low albedo encountered during these years suggests that the ice sheet experienced considerable melt in 1995 and 1998, particularly near the western margin of the ice sheet. Conversely, anomalously high albedos were found in 1992 as a result of colder temperatures and hence less melt following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. The relationship between the annual North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and the mean summer albedo from all the stations reveals a positive correlation of 0.44 and a positive correlation of 0.55 for die southern part of the ice sheet. Therefore variations in the mean summer albedo over Greenland can, in part, be explained by variations in the NAO sucl. that during periods of intensification of the normal mode of the NAO the mean summer albedo is above normal. Trend analysis reveals an overall downward trend in surface albedo from 1981 to 1998, which agrees with recent trends in melt and precipitation. However, the trend was found not to be statistically significant but rather influenced by the low albedo in recent years.