This thread is about the Surface Mass Balance change (i.e. snowfall) from 1 Sept 2023 to 31 Aug 2024, and Surface Melt April to October 2024,
plus DMI and JPL GIS Mass Loss data from GRACE /GRACE-FO data (whenever it is updated).
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31 August 2024
The DMI year for SMB has now finished. SMB gain for the year is 368GT, 13GT (3%) below the 2017-2022 average of 381GT, and very close to the longterm average from DMI. The SMB-ACC map shows where SMB increased and where it decreased.
DMI uses the calendar year for melt data. Daily Melt has reduced somewhat in the last week down to average levels, continuing an impressive melt season, with cumulative melt already much above 2023's impressive melt. GFS temperature data suggests that on one or two days next week melt could pick up a bit.
Summary for SMB year 2023-2024
Climate scientists tell us that precipitation is increasing, though with more rain on snow events.
They also tell us that melt is increasing, which the melt graph also shows.
This year has that despite very high melt, the SMB gain is close to the long-term average, which arithmetic says must mean precipitation was above the average.
In the longer-term AGW means a warmer, wetter Greenland, and climate science forecasts that due to higher melt and increased run-off the increase in precipitation is not enough to prevent annual SMB gains gradually decreasing in the years to come. (see graph next post)
The SMB gain of 368 GT plus GIS annual mass loss of around 250 GT tells us annual mass loss from run-off plus calving plus melting of marine-terminating glaciers and basal melt is probaly at least 600 GT per annum.
click images to enlarge
click gif to start, runs 5 times, (each run around 40 seconds)