The sea ice mass budget of the Arctic and its future change as simulated by coupled climate models

Arctic sea ice mass budgets for the twentieth century and projected changes through the twenty-first century are assessed from 14 coupled global climate models. Large inter-model scatter in contemporary mass budgets is strongly related to variations in absorbed solar radiation, due in large part to differences in the surface albedo simulation. Over the twenty-first century, all models simulate a decrease in ice volume resulting from increased annual net melt (melt minus growth), partially compensated by reduced transport to lower latitudes. Despite this general agreement, the models vary considerably regarding the magnitude of ice volume loss and the relative roles of changing melt and growth in driving it. Projected changes in sea ice mass budgets depend in part on the initial (mid twentieth century) ice conditions; models with thicker initial ice generally exhibit larger volume losses. Pointing to the importance of evolving surface albedo and cloud properties, inter-model scatter in changing net ice melt is significantly related to changes in downwelling longwave and absorbed shortwave radiation. These factors, along with the simulated mean and spatial distribution of ice thickness, contribute to a large inter-model scatter in the projected onset of seasonally ice-free conditions.     

Warm winds from the Pacific caused extensive Arctic sea-ice melt in summer 2007

During summer 2007 the Arctic sea-ice shrank to the lowest extent ever observed. The role of the atmospheric energy transport in this extreme melt event is explored using the state-of-the-art ERA-Interim reanalysis data. We find that in summer 2007 there was an anomalous atmospheric flow of warm and humid air into the region that suffered severe melt. This anomaly was larger than during any other year in the data (1989?C2008). Convergence of the atmospheric energy transport over this area led to positive anomalies of the downward longwave radiation and turbulent fluxes. In the region that experienced unusual ice melt, the net anomaly of the surface fluxes provided enough extra energy to melt roughly one meter of ice during the melting season. When the ocean successively became ice-free, the surface-albedo decreased causing additional absorption of shortwave radiation, despite the fact that the downwelling solar radiation was smaller than average. We argue that the positive anomalies of net downward longwave radiation and turbulent fluxes played a key role in initiating the 2007 extreme ice melt, whereas the shortwave-radiation changes acted as an amplifying feedback mechanism in response to the melt.     

An evaluation of Arctic cloud and radiation processes during the SHEBA year: simulation results from eight Arctic regional climate models

Eight atmospheric regional climate models (RCMs) were run for the period September 1997 to October 1998 over the western Arctic Ocean. This period was coincident with the observational campaign of the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) project. The RCMs shared common domains, centred on the SHEBA observation camp, along with a common model horizontal resolution, but differed in their vertical structure and physical parameterizations. All RCMs used the same lateral and surface boundary conditions. Surface downwelling solar and terrestrial radiation, surface albedo, vertically integrated water vapour, liquid water path and cloud cover from each model are evaluated against the SHEBA observation data. Downwelling surface radiation, vertically integrated water vapour and liquid water path are reasonably well simulated at monthly and daily timescales in the model ensemble mean, but with considerable differences among individual models. Simulated surface albedos are relatively accurate in the winter season, but become increasingly inaccurate and variable in the melt season, thereby compromising the net surface radiation budget. Simulated cloud cover is more or less uncorrelated with observed values at the daily timescale. Even for monthly averages, many models do not reproduce the annual cycle correctly. The inter-model spread of simulated cloud-cover is very large, with no model appearing systematically superior. Analysis of the co-variability of terms controlling the surface radiation budget reveal some of the key processes requiring improved treatment in Arctic RCMs. Improvements in the parameterization of cloud amounts and surface albedo are most urgently needed to improve the overall performance of RCMs in the Arctic.     

Radiation Exchange Between Stratus Clouds and Polar Marine Surfaces

The radiative energy exchange between arctic sea-ice and stratiform clouds is studied by means of aircraft measurements and a two-stream radiation transfer model. The data have been obtained by flights of two identically instrumented aircraft during the Radiation and Eddy Flux Experiments REFLEX I in autumn 1991 and REFLEX II in winter 1993 over the arctic marginal ice zone of Fram Strait. The instrumental equipment comprised Eppley pyranometers and pyrgeometers, which measure the solar and terrestrial upwelling and downwelling hemispheric radiation flux densities, and a line-scan-camera on one aircraft to monitor the surface structure of the sea-ice. An empirical parametrization of the albedo of partly ice-covered ocean surfaces is obtained from the data, which describes the albedo increasing linearly with the concentration of the snow-covered sea-ice and with the cosine of the sun zenith angle at sun elevations below 10°. Cloud optical parameters, such as single scattering albedo, asymmetry factor and shortwave and longwave height-dependent extinction coefficient are determined by adjusting modeled radiation flux densities to observations. We found significant influence of the multiple reflection of shortwave radiation between the ice surface and the cloud base on the radiation regime. Consistent with the data, a radiation transfer model shows that stratus clouds of 400 m thickness with common cloud parameters may double the global radiation at the surface of sea-ice compared to open water values. The total cloud-surface-albedo under these circumstances is 30% larger over sea-ice than over water. Parametrizations of the global and reflected radiation above and below stratus clouds are proposed on the basis of the measurements and modeling. The upwelling and downwelling longwave emission of stratus clouds with thicknesses of more than 500 m can be satisfactorily estimated by Stefan's law with an emissivity of nearly 1 and when the maximum air temperature within the cloud is used.     

All-Sky Surface Radiation and Clear-Sky Surface Energy Budgets: Summer to Freeze-Up in the Western Maritime Arctic

The 2009 ArcticNet expedition was a field campaign in the Amundsen Gulf–eastern Beaufort Sea region from mid-July to the beginning of November aboard the CCGS Amundsen that provided an opportunity to describe the all-sky surface radiation and the clear-sky surface energy budgets from summer to freeze-up in the data sparse western maritime Arctic. Because the fractional area of open water was generally larger than the fractional area of ice floes, the net radiation at the water surface controlled the radiation budget. Because the water albedo is much less than the albedo of the ice floes, the extent and duration of open water in summer is an important albedo feedback mechanism. From summer to freeze-up, the net all-sky shortwave radiation declined steadily as the solar angle lowered, while coincidently the net all-sky longwave radiation became increasingly negative. The all-sky net surface radiation switched from positive in summer to negative during the freeze-up period. From summer to freeze-up, both upward and downward turbulent heat fluxes occurred. In summer, a positive surface energy budget residual contributed to the melting of ice floes and/or to the warming of the Arctic Ocean's mixed layer. During the freeze-up period, with temperatures below approximately ?5°C, the residuals were mainly negative suggesting that heat loss from the ocean's mixed layer and heat released by the phase change of water were significant components of the energy budget's residual.     

Estimations of Land Surface Characteristic Parameters and TurbulentHeat Fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau Based on FY-4A/AGRI Data

正Nan GE1, Lei ZHONG*1,2,3, Yaoming MA4,5,6, Yunfei FU1, Mijun ZOU1,Meilin CHENG1, Xian WANG1, and Ziyu HUANG1     

The impact of Arctic sea ice on the Arctic energy budget and on the climate of the Northern mid-latitudes

The atmospheric general circulation model EC-EARTH-IFS has been applied to investigate the influence of both a reduced and a removed Arctic sea ice cover on the Arctic energy budget and on the climate of the Northern mid-latitudes. Three 40-year simulations driven by original and modified ERA-40 sea surface temperatures and sea ice concentrations have been performed at T255L62 resolution, corresponding to 79?km horizontal resolution. Simulated changes between sensitivity and reference experiments are most pronounced over the Arctic itself where the reduced or removed sea ice leads to strongly increased upward heat and longwave radiation fluxes and precipitation in winter. In summer, the most pronounced change is the stronger absorption of shortwave radiation which is enhanced by optically thinner clouds. Averaged over the year and over the area north of 70° N, the negative energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere decreases by about 10?W/m² in both sensitivity experiments. The energy transport across 70° N is reduced. Changes are not restricted to the Arctic. Less extreme cold events and less precipitation are simulated in sub-Arctic and Northern mid-latitude regions in winter.     

我国西北大气沙尘气溶胶的辐射效应

利用HEIFE地面辐射平衡观测资料和同期NOAA-11/AVHRR卫星遥感资料定量估算春季我国西北大气沙尘的辐射效应。大气沙尘减小地面净辐射冷却地面,对地-气系统和大气的辐射效应均与地表反照率有关,严重浑浊的沙尘大气在沙漠为短波加热和长波冷却,在绿洲则相反,但净效应都是加热。文中给出了4月大气浑浊度系数约由0.1增大到0.6,在沙漠和绿洲上空沙尘层（850～600 hPa）内大气的附加短波、长波和净加热/冷却率。     

LASG Global AGCM with a Two-moment Cloud Microphysics Scheme:Energy Balance and Cloud Radiative Forcing Characteristics

Cloud dominates influence factors of atmospheric radiation, while aerosol–cloud interactions are of vital importance in its spatiotemporal distribution. In this study, a two-moment(mass and number) cloud microphysics scheme, which significantly improved the treatment of the coupled processes of aerosols and clouds, was incorporated into version 1.1 of the IAP/LASG global Finite-volume Atmospheric Model(FAMIL1.1). For illustrative purposes, the characteristics of the energy balance and cloud radiative forcing(CRF) in an AMIP-type simulation with prescribed aerosols were compared with those in observational/reanalysis data. Even within the constraints of the prescribed aerosol mass, the model simulated global mean energy balance at the top of the atmosphere(TOA) and at the Earth's surface, as well as their seasonal variation, are in good agreement with the observational data. The maximum deviation terms lie in the surface downwelling longwave radiation and surface latent heat flux, which are 3.5 W m-2(1%) and 3 W m-2(3.5%), individually. The spatial correlations of the annual TOA net radiation flux and the net CRF between simulation and observation were around 0.97 and 0.90, respectively. A major weakness is that FAMIL1.1 predicts more liquid water content and less ice water content over most oceans. Detailed comparisons are presented for a number of regions, with a focus on the Asian monsoon region(AMR). The results indicate that FAMIL1.1 well reproduces the summer–winter contrast for both the geographical distribution of the longwave CRF and shortwave CRF over the AMR. Finally, the model bias and possible solutions, as well as further works to develop FAMIL1.1 are discussed.     

‘Modelling the Arctic Boundary Layer: An Evaluation of Six Arcmip Regional-Scale Models using Data from the Sheba Project’

A primary climate change signal in the central Arctic is the melting of sea ice. This is dependent on the interplay between the atmosphere and the sea ice, which is critically dependent on the exchange of momentum, heat and moisture at the surface. In assessing the realism of climate change scenarios it is vital to know the quality by which these exchanges are modelled in climate simulations. Six state-of-the-art regional-climate models are run for one year in the western Arctic, on a common domain that encompasses the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) experiment ice-drift track. Surface variables, surface fluxes and the vertical structure of the lower troposphere are evaluated using data from the SHEBA experiment. All the models are driven by the same lateral boundary conditions, sea-ice fraction and sea and sea-ice surface temperatures. Surface pressure, near-surface air temperature, specific humidity and wind speed agree well with observations, with a falling degree of accuracy in that order. Wind speeds have systematic biases in some models, by as much as a few metres per second. The surface radiation fluxes are also surprisingly accurate, given the complexity of the problem. The turbulent momentum flux is acceptable, on average, in most models, but the turbulent heat fluxes are, however, mostly unreliable. Their correlation with observed fluxes is, in principle, insignificant, and they accumulate over a year to values an order of magnitude larger than observed. Typical instantaneous errors are easily of the same order of magnitude as the observed net atmospheric heat flux. In the light of the sensitivity of the atmosphere–ice interaction to errors in these fluxes, the ice-melt in climate change scenarios must be viewed with considerable caution.     

Declining summer snowfall in the Arctic: causes, impacts and feedbacks

Recent changes in the Arctic hydrological cycle are explored using in situ observations and an improved atmospheric reanalysis data set, ERA-Interim. We document a pronounced decline in summer snowfall over the Arctic Ocean and Canadian Archipelago. The snowfall decline is diagnosed as being almost entirely caused by changes in precipitation form (snow turning to rain) with very little influence of decreases in total precipitation. The proportion of precipitation falling as snow has decreased as a result of lower-atmospheric warming. Statistically, over 99% of the summer snowfall decline is linked to Arctic warming over the past two decades. Based on the reanalysis snowfall data over the ice-covered Arctic Ocean, we derive an estimate for the amount of snow-covered ice. It is estimated that the area of snow-covered ice, and the proportion of sea ice covered by snow, have decreased significantly. We perform a series of sensitivity experiments in which inter-annual changes in snow-covered ice are either unaccounted for, or are parameterized. In the parameterized case, the loss of snow-on-ice results in a substantial decrease in the surface albedo over the Arctic Ocean, that is of comparable magnitude to the decrease in albedo due to the decline in sea ice cover. Accordingly, the solar input to the Arctic Ocean is increased, causing additional surface ice melt. We conclude that the decline in summer snowfall has likely contributed to the thinning of sea ice over recent decades. The results presented provide support for the existence of a positive feedback in association with warming-induced reductions in summer snowfall.     

Climate response to introduction of the ESA CCI land cover data to the NCAR CESM

The European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative Land Cover data (ESA CCI-LC, from 1992 to 2015) is introduced to the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model version 1.2.1 (NCAR CESM1.2.1). In comparison with the original land surface data in the Community Land Model version 4 (ORG), the new data features notable land use and land cover change (LULCC) with increased forests over northeastern Asia and Alaska by decreasing shrublands and grasslands. Overestimated bare land cover over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the Rocky Mountains in the ORG are corrected with the replacements by grasslands and shrublands respectively in the new data. The model simulation results show that with the introduction of the ESA CCI-LC, the simulated surface albedo, surface net radiation flux, sensible and latent heat fluxes are relatively improved over the regions where significant LULCC exists, such as northeastern Asia, Alaska, the TP, and Australia. Surface air temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric circulation are improved in boreal winter but degraded in summer. The winter warming over northeastern Asia results from increased longwave downwelling flux and adiabatic heating while the notable winter cooling over Alaska is attributed to strong cold advection followed by reduced longwave downwelling flux. LULCC alters precipitation by influencing water vapor content. In winter, LULCC affects atmospheric circulation via modulating baroclinicity while in summer, it influences land-sea thermal contrast, thus affecting the intensity of East Asian summer monsoon. LULCC also alters the simulated dust burden.

     

Light-absorbing particles in snow and ice: Measurement and modeling of climatic and hydrological impact

Light absorbing particles(LAP, e.g., black carbon, brown carbon, and dust) influence water and energy budgets of the atmosphere and snowpack in multiple ways. In addition to their effects associated with atmospheric heating by absorption of solar radiation and interactions with clouds, LAP in snow on land and ice can reduce the surface reflectance(a.k.a., surface darkening), which is likely to accelerate the snow aging process and further reduces snow albedo and increases the speed of snowpack melt. LAP in snow and ice(LAPSI) has been identified as one of major forcings affecting climate change, e.g.in the fourth and fifth assessment reports of IPCC. However, the uncertainty level in quantifying this effect remains very high. In this review paper, we document various technical methods of measuring LAPSI and review the progress made in measuring the LAPSI in Arctic, Tibetan Plateau and other mid-latitude regions. We also report the progress in modeling the mass concentrations, albedo reduction, radiative forcing, and climatic and hydrological impact of LAPSI at global and regional scales. Finally we identify some research needs for reducing the uncertainties in the impact of LAPSI on global and regional climate and the hydrological cycle.     

不同形状冰晶权重假定对冰云光学和辐射特性的影响

在BCC_RAD辐射传输模式和包含多形状冰晶粒子的冰云光学性质参数化方案的基础上,详细分析了不同冰晶粒子权重选取对冰云光学和辐射特性的影响。结果显示,不同形状冰晶粒子权重的选取对长波带平均消光系数、单次散射比、不对称因子和短波带平均不对称因子均有较大的影响。冰晶粒子权重选取对长波辐射通量有很大影响:对长波向下辐射通量,权重选择不同可在云底处造成高达10.50 W/m2的差别;对长波向上辐射通量,权重选择不同可在云顶处造成高达15.05 W/m2的差别。冰晶粒子权重选择对短波辐射通量也存在较大影响:对短波向下辐射通量,权重选择不同可在云底处造成高达12.48 W/m2的差别;对短波向上辐射通量,权重选择不同可在云顶处造成高达10.23 W/m2的差别。冰晶粒子权重选择对长波加热率影响较大,在云顶处和云底处分别可达1.31和-2.06 K/d。研究表明,不同形状冰晶粒子权重的选取对冰云光学性质和辐射计算均有较大的影响,在长波区间尤其明显。      

Direct near-surface measurements of sensible heat fluxes in the Arctic tundra applying eddy covariance and laser scintillometry��the Arctic Turbulence Experiment 2006 on Svalbard (ARCTEX-2006)

Recent climate warming in the Arctic requires improvements in permafrost and carbon cycle monitoring, accomplished here by setting up long-term observation sites with high-quality in situ measurements of turbulent atmospheric energy fluxes applying the eddy covariance method and/or laser scintillometry in Arctic landscapes. Accurate quantification and well-adapted parameterizations of turbulent energy fluxes, e.g., during neutral to stable stratified conditions, are a fundamental problem in soil?Csnow?Cice?Cvegetation?Catmosphere interaction studies. We present results from the Arctic Turbulence Experiment (ARCTEX-2006) performed on the island of Svalbard, Norway, during the winter/spring transition 2006 that focus on data correction and quality assessment, on synoptic weather conditions, as well as site-specific micrometeorological features. A quality assessment and data correction adapted to the environmental conditions of polar regions demonstrates that specific measurement errors common at a high Arctic landscape could be minimized. We discuss the role of the intermittency of the turbulent atmospheric fluctuation of momentum and scalars, the existence of a disturbed vertical temperature profile (sharp inversion layer) close to the surface, and the relevance of possible free convection events for the snow or ice melt in the Arctic spring at Svalbard. Recommendations and improvements regarding the interpretation of eddy flux data as well as the arrangement of the instrumentation under polar distinct exchange conditions and (extreme) weather situations are presented.     

东西伯利亚——波弗特海海冰多年代际变率及其与大西洋多年代际振荡的联系

基于哈得来中心（Hadley Centre）逐月的海表温度、海冰密集度资料以及美国国家环境预报中心/国家大气研究中心（NCEP/NCAR）的大气环流再分析资料,分析了1950—2020年秋季（8—10月）东西伯利亚—波弗特海（East Siberian-Beaufort,EsCB）海冰年代际变化的时空特征,并阐述了大西洋多年代际振荡（Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation,AMO）对EsCB海冰年代际变率的可能调制作用。结果表明,EsCB是秋季北极海冰年代际变化最主要的区域,该区海冰密集度年代际变率可占其异常总方差的40%以上。进一步研究发现,AMO对秋季EsCB海冰存在明显的调制作用,在AMO正位相,北大西洋正海温异常激发向极传播的大气罗斯贝波列,有利于北极中部出现高压异常,相应的大气绝热下沉运动使得对流层低层出现明显的升温,从而有利于EsCB海冰的融化。与此同时,地表升温和EsCB海冰消融会引起局地云量的增多、大气向下长波辐射增大,这反过来又使得地表气温升高,这种地表气温-云-长波辐射的正反馈过程有利于年代际海冰信号的长时间维持。耦合模式的北大西洋“起搏...     

Modelling of cloud formation due to air-sea interactions in an energy-active zone

A mesoscale 3D numerical model is described, with which detailed calculations have been made of turbulence and wind characteristics in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), as well as cloud particle size distribution, longwave and solar radiation fluxes and flux divergences, and atmosphere-ocean heat exchange. Based on numerical experiments simulating winter conditions of the Newfoundland energy-active zone of the ocean (EAZO), atmosphere-ocean energy exchange is investigated. It is shown that the basic mechanisms for the EAZO formation involve the following processes: (i) at the hydrological front between cold and warm ocean currents, the fluxes of sensible and latent heat grow significantly; (ii) at this front, in a particular synoptic situation, overcast low-level cloudiness forms, screening solar radiation so that in winter, the radiation budget at the front is reduced, and the radiative flux into the ocean is less than the energy release to the atmosphere; (iii) frequent occurrence of such synoptic situations with cloudiness decreases the oceanic enthalpy and creates negative SST anomalies. The transport of these anomalies by currents to the western coasts of the continents causes anomalies of weather and climate.     

Impact of clouds on the surface radiation balance of the Arctic Ocean

Summary The relationship between clouds and the surface radiative fluxes over the Arctic Ocean are explored by conducting a series of modelling experiments using a one-dimensional thermodynamic sea ice model. The sensitivity of radiative flux to perturbations in cloud fraction and cloud optical depth are determined. These experiments illustrate the substantial effect that clouds have on the state of the sea ice and on the surface radiative fluxes. The effect of clouds on the net flux of radiation at the surface is very complex over the Arctic Ocean particularly due to the presence of the underlying sea ice. Owing to changes in surface albedo and temperature associated with changing cloud properties, there is a strong non-linearity between cloud properties and surface radiative fluxes. The model results are evaluated in three different contexts: 1) the sensitivity of the arctic surface radiation balance to uncertainties in cloud properties; 2) the impact of interannual variability in cloud characteristics on surface radiation fluxes and sea ice surface characteristics; and 3) the impact of climate change and the resulting changes in cloud properties on the surface radiation fluxes and sea ice characteristics.With 11 Figures     

The Arctic surface energy budget as simulated with the IPCC AR4 AOGCMs

Ensembles of simulations of the twentieth- and twentyfirst-century climate, performed with 20 coupled models for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment, provide the basis for an evaluation of the Arctic (70°–90°N) surface energy budget. While the various observational sources used for validation contain differences among themselves, some model biases and across-model differences emerge. For all energy budget components in the twentieth-century simulations (the 20C3M simulation), the across-model variance and the differences from observational estimates are largest in the marginal ice zone (Barents, Kara, Chukchi Seas). Both downward and upward longwave radiation at the surface are underestimated in winter by many models, and the ensenmble mean annual net surface energy loss by longwave radiation is 35 W/m², which is less than for the NCEP and ERA40 reanalyses but in line with some of the satellite estimates. Incoming solar radiation is overestimated by the models in spring and underestimated in summer and autumn. The ensemble mean annual net surface energy gain by shortwave radiation is 39 W/m², which is slightly less than for the observational based estimates, In the twentyfirst-century simulations driven by the SRES A2 scenario, increased concentrations of greenhouse gasses increase (average for 2080–2100 minus average for 1980–2000 averages) the annual average ensemble mean downward longwave radiation by 30.1 W/m². This was partly counteracted by a 10.7 W/m² reduction in downward shortwave radiation. Enhanced sea ice melt and increased surface temperatures increase the annual surface upward longwave radiation by 27.1 W/m² and reduce the upward shortwave radiation by 13.2 W/m², giving an annual net (shortwave plus longwave) surface radiation increase of 5.8 W/m² , with the maximum changes in summer. The increase in net surface radiation is largely offset by an increased energy loss of 4.4 W/m² by the turbulent fluxes.     

‘Evolution of a Storm-driven Cloudy Boundary Layer in the Arctic’

To investigate the processes of development and maintenance of low-level clouds during major synoptic events, the cloudy boundary layer under stormy conditions during the summertime Arctic has been studied using observations from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) experiment and large-eddy simulations (LES). On 29 July 1998, a stable Arctic cloudy boundary-layer event was observed after the passage of a synoptic low pressure system. The local dynamic and thermodynamic structure of the boundary layer was determined from aircraft measurements including the analysis of turbulence, cloud microphysics and radiative properties. After the upper cloud layer advected over the existing cloud layer, the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget indicated that the cloud layer below 200 m was maintained predominantly by shear production. Observations of longwave radiation showed that cloud-top cooling at the lower cloud top has been suppressed by radiative effects of the upper cloud layer. Our LES results demonstrate the importance of the combination of shear mixing near the surface and radiative cooling at the cloud top in the storm-driven cloudy boundary layer. Once the low-level cloud reaches a certain height, depending on the amount of cloud-top cooling, the two sources of TKE production begin to separate in space under continuous stormy conditions, suggesting one possible mechanism for the cloud layering. The sensitivity tests suggest that the storm-driven cloudy boundary layer is possibly switched to the shear-driven system due to the advection of upper clouds or to the buoyantly driven system due to the lack of wind shear. A comparison is made of this storm-driven boundary layer with the buoyantly driven boundary layer previously described in the literature.