Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Greenland plateau jets

Moore, G.W.K., I.A. Renfrew, and J.J. Cassano

2013, Tellus, 65, 17468, DOI:10.3402/tellusa.v65i0.17468

The high ice-covered topography of Greenland represents a significant barrier to atmospheric flow and, as a direct and indirect result, Greenland plays a crucial role in the coupled climate system. The wind field over Greenland is important in diagnosing regional weather and climate, thereby providing information on the mass balance of the ice sheet as well as assisting in the interpretation of ice core data. Here we identify a number of hitherto unrecognized features of the wind field over Greenland; including a 2500km long jet along the ice sheet's western slopes that extends from the surface into the middle-troposphere, as well as a similar but smaller-scale and less intense feature along its eastern slopes, that we refer to as Greenland Plateau Jets. The jets are maintained by both the synoptic-scale zonal temperature gradient and the strong temperature inversion over the ice sheet. Their importance for Greenland's regional climate are discussed.