Altitude dependence of the ice sheet surface climate

The dependence of surface climate on elevation changes is evaluated for Greenland and Antarctica in an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) sensitivity study. The results indicate a rather low temperature sensitivity of ≈ −5 K km−1 near the coasts, which is weaker than the values often used in parameterizations in climate models. In the plateau areas, the sensitivity is stronger (−10 K km−1). Relative precipitation change is relatively strong (≈ −10%/100m) on the plateaus, while near the coasts, precipitation strengthens when the surface elevation is increased.