Precipitation Forecasting at High Latitudes

Abstract

Despite Antarctica being considered the driest continent on Earth, precipitation plays an important role in modulating activities, where reduced visibility in snow not only adversely affects flying operations but can also hinder ground transportation. Precipitation is also a fundamental component in the calculation of the Antarctic mass budget where the balance between precipitation, evaporation, and the outflow of ice through glacial calving and surface and basal melting defines whether the continental ice sheet is in equilibrium or not. In this paper precipitation data from a high-resolution, limited-area gridpoint model are presented, along with verification results and a discussion of how the model data may be used to assist in weather forecasting and climate analyses.