Net radiation and turbulent energy exchanges over a non-glaciated coastal area on King George Island during four summer seasons

Abstract

Recently, the Antarctic Peninsula has received more attention due to the pronounced warming in that region. Non-glaciated coastal areas on the Peninsula can be significant energy sources for the atmosphere when they are exposed during summer despite the high degree of cloud associated with the frequent passage of low pressure systems. An eddy covariance system was established in December 2002 to evaluate the turbulent energy exchanges between the atmosphere and a non-glaciated coastal area on King George Island. Monthly average downward shortwave radiation was less than 210 Wm(-2) in summer. Due to the low albedo of 0.12, monthly average net radiation reached > 130 Wm(-2), a magnitude that was significantly larger than the reported magnitudes of < similar to 70 Wm(-2) at glaciated areas with a high albedo, on the Peninsula. The sum of monthly average sensible heat (< 64 Wm(-2)) and latent heat (< 20 Wm(-2)) fluxes amounted up to similar to 80 Wm(-2), which was an order of magnitude larger than those at glaciated areas on the Antarctic Peninsula. Given that non-glaciated areas should be enlarged if the warming continues, more attention may need to be paid to the role of non-glaciated areas in the local climate to predict climate change on the Antarctic Peninsula.