The CO2-induced thickening/thinning of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets as simulated by a GCM (CCMI) and an ice-sheet model

Scaling analysis shows that the mean thickness of an ice sheet depends on the product of two poorly known quantities, the ice viscosity and the net snow accumulation rate. We adjust the viscosity of an ice sheet in order to get a consistent value of this product for the present-day ice sheet volume and area given the net snow accumulation rate calculated by an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM). We then hold this artificial rheology constant in further numerical experiments. We hope that in doing so we can partially compensate for systematic GCM errors in simulating the snow accumulation rate, and, therefore, thickening/thinning of ice sheets will depend mostly on the tendency in the net accumulation change rather than on its absolute value. Using this approach, the response of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to doubling CO₂ concentration is simulated and the horizontal distribution of possible thickening/thinning of polar ice obtained. We find that, initially, the region of thickening ice is close to the area of increased snowfall rate, but later it significantly changes under the influence of internal ice flow dynamics. The sea-level changes predicted by our experiments agree with some empirical estimates. The sensitivity experiment with assigned basal sliding does not show significant changes in the large-scale ice topography, meaning, for example, that there is no indication of a possible disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet. At the same time, the regional thickening/thinning of ice (and consequently the sea-level change) depends strongly on processes at the ice sheet bottom.     

Sensitivity of a Greenland ice sheet model to ice flow and ablation parameters: consequences for the evolution through the last climatic cycle

Sensitivity experiments are conducted to test the influence of poorly known model parameters on the simulation of the Greenland ice sheet by means of a three dimensional numerical model including the mechanical and thermal processes within the ice. Two types of experiments are performed: steady-state climatic conditions and simulations over the last climatic cycle with a climatic forcing derived from the GRIP record. The experiments show that the maximum altitude of the ice sheet depends on the ice flow parameters (deformation and sliding law coefficients, geothermal flux) and that it is low when the ice flow is fast. On the other hand, the maximum altitude is not sensitive to the ablation strength and consequently during the climatic cycle it is driven by changes in accumulation rate. The ice sheet extension shows the opposite sensitivity: it is barely affected by ice flow velocity and the ice covered area is smaller for large ablation coefficients. For colder climates, when there is no ablation, the ice sheet extension depends on the sea level. An interesting result is that the variations with time of the altitude at the ice divide (Summit) do not depend on the parameters we tested. The present modelled ice sheets resulting from the climatic cycle experiments are compared with the present measured ice sheet in order to find the set of parameters that gives the best fit between modelled and measured geometry. It seems that, compared to the parameter set most commonly used, higher ablation rate coefficents must be used. Received: 19 September 1995 / Accepted: 30 May 1996     

Long-term observations for monitoring of the cryosphere

Variations of the cryosphere over decadal-to-century timescales are assessed by a survey of data on sea ice, snow cover, glaciers and ice sheets, permafrost and lake ice. The recent variations are generally consistent across the different cryospheric variables, especially when placed into the context of variations of temperature and precipitation. The recent warming over northern land areas has been accompanied by a decrease of snow cover, particularly during spring; the retreat of mountain glaciers is, in an aggregate sense, compatible with the observed warming; permafrost extent and lake ice duration show similar variations in areas for which data are available. Corresponding trends are not apparent, however, in data for some regions such as eastern Canada, nor in hemispheric sea ice data, especially for winter. The data also suggest an increase of snowfall over high latitudes, including the Antarctic ice sheet.Estimates of both the climatic and the statistical significance of the recent variations are hampered by data inhomogeneities, the shortness of the records of many variables and the absence of central archives for data on several variables. The potential of monitoring by satellite remote sensing has been realized with several variables (extent of sea ice, snow cover). Other cryospheric variables (snow depth, ice sheet elevation, lake ice, mountain glaciers) may be amenable to routine monitoring by satellites pending advances in instrumentation, modifications of satellite orbit, and further developments in signal detection algorithms. The survey of recent variations leads to recommendations concerning the use of historical data,in situ measurements, and remote sensing applications in the monitoring of the cryosphere.     

Temporal and Spatial Variations of the Aerodynamic Roughness Length in the Ablation Zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet

To understand the response of the Greenland ice sheet to climate change the so-called ablation zone is of particular importance, since it accommodates the yearly net surface ice loss. In numerical models and for data analysis, the bulk aerodynamic method is often used to calculate the turbulent surface fluxes, for which the aerodynamic roughness length (z ₀) is a key parameter. We present, for the first time, spatial and temporal variations of z ₀ in the ablation area of the Greenland ice sheet using year-round data from three automatic weather stations and one eddy-correlation mast. The temporal variation of z ₀ is found to be very high in the lower ablation area (factor 500) with, at the end of the summer melt, a maximum in spatial variation for the whole ablation area of a factor 1000. The variation in time matches the onset of the accumulation and ablation season as recovered by sonic height rangers. During winter, snow accumulation and redistribution by snow drift lead to a uniform value of z ₀≈ 10⁻⁴ m throughout the ablation area. At the beginning of summer, snow melt uncovers ice hummocks and z ₀ quickly increases well above 10⁻² m in the lower ablation area. At the end of summer melt, hummocky ice dominates the surface with z ₀ > 5  ×  10⁻³ m up to 60 km from the ice edge. At the same time, the area close to the equilibrium line (about 90 km from the ice edge) remains very smooth with z ₀ = 10⁻⁵ m. At the beginning of winter, we observed that single snow events have the potential to lower z ₀ for a very rough ice surface by a factor of 20 to 50. The total surface drag of the abundant small-scale ice hummocks apparently dominates over the less frequent large domes and deep gullies. The latter results are verified by studying the individual drag contributions of hummocks and domes with a drag partition model.     

Snowpack model estimates of the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet and its changes over the twentyfirst century

The performance of a snow cover model in capturing the ablation on the Greenland ice sheet is evaluated. This model allows an explicit calculation of the formation of melt water, of the fraction of melt water which re-freezes, and of runoff in the ablation region. The input climate variables to the snowpack model come from two climate models. While the higher resolution general circulation model (ECHAM 4), is closest to observations in its estimate of accumulation, it fails to give accurate results in its predictions of runoff, primarily in the southern half of the ice sheet. The two-dimensional low-resolution climate model (MIT 2D LO) produces estimates of runoff from the Greenland ice sheet within the range of uncertainty of the Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC1) 1995 estimates. Both models reproduce some of the characteristics of the extent of the wet snow zone observed with satellite remote sensing; the MIT model is closer to observations in terms of areal extent and intensity of the melting in the southern half of the ice-sheet in July and August while the ECHAM model reproduces melting in the northern half of the ice sheet well. Changes in runoff from Greenland and Antarctica are often cited as one of the major concerns linked to anthropogenic changes in climate. Because it is based on physical principles and relies on the surface energy balance as input, the snow cover model can respond to the current climatic forcing as well as to future changes in climate on the century time scale without the limitations inherent in empirical parametrizations. For a reference climate scenario similar to the IPCC's IS92a, the model projects that the Greenland ice sheet does not contribute significantly to changes in the level of the ocean over the twenty-first century. Increases in accumulation over the central portion of the ice sheet offset most of the increase in melting and runoff, which takes place along the margins of the ice sheet. The range of uncertainty in the predictions of sea-level rise is estimated by repeating the calculation with the MIT model for seven climate change scenarios. The range is –0.5 to 1.7 cm.     

Climate sensitivity studies of the Greenland ice sheet using satellite AVHRR,SMMR, SSM/I and in situ data

Summary The feasibility of using satellite data for climate research over the Greenland ice sheet is discussed. In particular, we demonstrate the usefulness of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Local Area Coverage (LAC) and Global Area Coverage (GAC) data for narrow-band albedo retrieval. Our study supports the use of lower resolution AVHRR (GAC) data for process studies over most of the Greenland ice sheet. Based on LAC data time series analysis, we can resolve relative albedo changes on the order of 2–5%. In addition, we examine Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) passive microwave data for snow typing and other signals of climatological significance. Based on relationships between in situ measurements and horizontally polarized 19 and 37 GHz observations, wet snow regions are identified. The wet snow regions increase in aerial percentage from 9% of the total ice surface in June to a maximum of 26% in August 1990. Furthermore, the relationship between brightness temperatures and accumulation rates in the northeastern part of Greenland is described. We found a consistent increase in accumulation rate for the northeastern part of the ice sheet from 1981 to 1986.With 16 Figures     

Recent precipitation trends over the polar ice sheets

Summary Meteorological and glaciological analyses are integrated to examine the precipitation trends during the last three decades over the ice sheets covering Antarctica and Greenland. For Antarctica, the best data source is provided by glaciologically-measured trends of snow accumulation, and for limited sectors of East Antarctica consistency with precipitation amounts calculated from the atmospheric water balance equation is obtained. For Greenland, precipitation rates parameterized from atmospheric analyses yield the only comprehensive depiction. The precipitation rate over Antarctica appears to have increased by about 5% over a time period spanning the accumulation means for the 1955–65 to 1965–75 periods, while over Greenland it has decreased by about 15% since 1983 with a secondary increase over the southern part of the ice sheet starting in 1977. At the end of the 10-year overlapping period, the global sea-level impact of the precipitation changes over Antarctica dominates that for Greenland and yields a net ice-sheet precipitation contribution of roughly 0.02 mm yr^–1. These changes are likely due to marked variations in the cyclonic forcing affecting the ice sheets, but are only weakly reflected in the temperature regime, consistent with the episodic nature of cyclonic precipitation. These conclusions are not founded on high quality data bases. The importance of such changes for understanding global sea-level variations argues for a modest research effort to collect simultaneous meteorological and glaciological observations in order to describe and understand the current precipitation variations over both ice sheets. Some suggestions are offered for steps that could be taken.With 8 Figures     

The initiation of ice sheet growth,Milankovitch solar radiation variations,and the 100 ky ice age cycle

Much work has gone into deciphering the causes of the large scale glacial/interglacial variations in the climate system over the last 900 000 years. While variations on the 41 thousand year (ky) and 23 ky time scales seem to be linearly linked to the variations in the distribution of solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere, Milankovitch solar radiation variations, the causes of the dominant 100 ky cycle in the geologic record are still unknown. One of the aspects of this cycle that is not well understood is how large scale ice sheet growth is initiated. Here we describe the mechanisms by which large scale ice sheet growth may have been initiated by the changes in the seasonal and latitudinal distribution of solar radiation over the past 160 ky. This is done through the use of a coupled energy balance climate-thermodynamic sea ice model that includes a hydrologic cycle which computes precipitation, and a land surface energy balance which determines the net accumulation of snow and ice. Results indicate that the initiation of ice sheet growth is possible during times of extremely low summer solstice solar radiation as a result of a large decrease in ablation during the critical melt season.     

Multistability of the Greenland ice sheet and the effects of an adaptive mass balance formulation

The effect of a warmer climate on the Greenland ice sheet as well as its ability to regrow from a reduced geometry is important knowledge when studying future climate. Here we use output from a general circulation model to construct adaptive temperature and precipitation patterns to force an ice flow model off-line taking into consideration that the patterns change in a non-uniform way (both spatially and temporally) as the geometry of the ice sheet evolves and as climate changes. In a series of experiments we investigate the retreat from the present day configuration, build-up from ice free conditions of the ice sheet during a warmer-than-present climate and how the ice sheet moves between states. The adaptive temperature and accumulation patterns as well as two different constant-pattern formulations are applied and all experiments are run to steady state. All results fall into four different groups of geometry regardless of the applied accumulation pattern and initial state. We find that the ice sheet is able to survive and build up at higher temperatures using the more realistic adaptive patterns compared to the classic constant patterns. In contrast, decay occurs at considerably higher temperatures than build-up when the other formulations are used. When studying the motion between states it is clear that the initial state is crucial for the result. The ice sheet is thus multistable at least for certain temperature forcings, and this implies that the ice sheet not does not necessarily return to its initial configuration after a temperature excursion.     

Joining Australia to Antarctica GCM implications for the Cenozoic record of Antarctic glaciation

A previous GCM study concerning the formation and maintenance of Antarctic glaciation is expanded to include the joining of Australia to Antarctica; the two continents were physically connected prior to about 40 million years ago. It has been proposed that the increased continentality resulting from the enlarged landmass inhibited glaciation by increasing the degree of summer heating. However, simulations with the NCAR CCM1 suggest little change in the net Antarctic snow accumulation when Australia is joined to Antarctica, even under extreme variations in SST and topography. If anything, there is a slight increase in the net accumulation with the larger landmass. The climate of Australia does change markedly, consistent with the roughly 30° poleward shift in latitude. These results may not be inconsistent with paleoclimatic data from the early Cenozoic and the Cretaceous, with temperate flora and fauna along the coast, and large ice sheets inland.     

Sensitivity of the last glacial inception to initial and surface conditions

We investigate the sensitivity of simulations of the last glacial inception (LGI) with respect to initial (size of the Greenland ice sheet) and surface (state of ocean/vegetation) conditions and two different CO₂ reconstructions. Utilizing the CLIMBER-2 Earth system model, we obtain the following results: (a) ice-sheet expansion in North America at the end of the Eemian can be reduced or even completely suppressed when pre-industrial or Eemian ocean/vegetation is prescribed. (b) A warmer surrounding ocean and, in particular, a large Laurentide ice sheet reduce the size of the Greenland ice sheet before and during the LGI. (c) A changing ocean contributes much stronger to the expansion of the Laurentide ice sheet when we apply the CO₂ reconstruction according to Barnola et al. (Nature 329:408–414, 1987) instead of Petit et al. (Nature 399:429–436, 1999). (d) In the fully coupled model, the CO₂ reconstruction used has only a small impact on the simulated ice sheets but it does impact the course of the climatic variables. (e) For the Greenland ice sheet, two equilibrium states exist under the insolation and CO₂ forcing at 128,000 years before present (128 kyear BP); the one with an ice sheet reduced by about one quarter as compared to its simulated pre-industrial size and the other with nearly no inland ice in Greenland. (f) Even the extreme assumption of no ice sheet in Greenland at the beginning of our transient simulations does not alter the simulated expansion of northern hemispheric ice sheets at the LGI.     

极地气象与全球变化

目前，全球变化加快，极地地区变化尤为突出，这对区域或全球的社会、经济和生态系统都将产生显著的影响。最明显的证据是极区的冰川和冰雪范围持续减少，永久冻土在消融和消失，北冰洋海冰范围和厚度减小。极地环境的变化跟地球其它区域的变化息息相关，如臭氧洞的形成与来自低纬度的污染物积聚有关。极地地区的科学研究非常重要，不断地给我们提出新的科学挑战。极地冰盖下和大面积海冰下存在着大量的未知领域，许多极地研究的前沿问题实际上存在于传统学科的交叉领域。因此，世界气象组织（WMO）和国际科联（ICSU）共同发起并于2007年3月1日启动实施2007-2008年国际极地年（IPY），旨在为极地气象学、海洋学、冰川和水文学等领域的科学研究和观测做出贡献，有助于发展更精确的海一冰一大气环流模式，进一步提高对天气预报和气候变化的预测和预估水平。     

Applying the energy- and water balance model for incorporation of the cryospheric component into a climate model. Part II. Modeled mass balance on the green land ice sheet surface

The Greenland ice sheet is a very important potential source of fresh water inflow to the World Ocean under warming climate conditions. Apparently, it was the same during the Last Interglacial 130-115 thousand years ago. In order to quantify input of the Greenland ice sheet to the rise of the global mean sea level in the past or in the future, we include a surface mass balance model block into the Earth System Model. The computational algorithm is based on the calculation of energy balance on the ice sheet surface. The key tuning parameter of the model is the daily amplitude of air surface temperature. It defines the area and the rate of snow or ice melting. The range of possible values of this parameter is determined during a series of numerical experiments. High sensitivity of meltwater runoff volume to surface air temperature amplitude is revealed.     

Book review

Summary and Conclusions The Last Great Ice Sheets provides a valuable compilation for current estimates of the extent and timing of the maximum ice extent of the last ice age period around the globe. The areas of uncertainty are indicated and emphasis is given to points of controversy where further research is needed to resolve the most important problems still remaining. The work thereby presents plausible upper and lower limit estimates for the maximum extent of the ice corresponding to about 18 ka BP. These limits can be used for the boundary conditions required for atmospheric climate modelling studies. For this type of application the differences in the upper and lower limits are not serious and consequently the possible errors in the reconstruction estimates are not so important. The greatest uncertainties in the ice cover reconstructions occur for the northerly limits of the grounded ice which tend to be in off-shore regions where reliable data is sparse. This signals the requirement for a much greater research effort to collect off-shore sediment sequences and other data to help clarify the ice cover fluctuation record. The possibility of an extensive arctic ice shelf system and marine ice sheet cover interconnecting with the various grounded ice sheets is put forward as a working hypothesis along with arguments in favour of the upper limit estimates for the maximum ice extent. The extent of the ice age ice shelves is an important question which should be examined by dynamic ice sheet modelling with explicit ice shelf formulation. The extensive growth of the ice sheets to seaward margins leads naturally to ice shelf formation. The major questions are: how extensive were the ice shelves, and to what extent did coalescence occur? The further hypothesis that the ice shelves may have had a major role in the growth and decay of the ice sheets is more difficult to support since the results of the dynamic modelling indicate that the ice shelves form readily as a result of extensive growth of the ice sheets but it is difficult to start extensive ice growth near sea level. The information presented for the timing of the advance towards the maximum ice cover and the subsequent pattern of retreat provides further valuable material to test the dynamic ice sheet and climate models including the reactions to the Earth's orbital radiation changes. These results for the rates of change of the ice cover taken together with the modelling results of Budd and Smith indicate that neither the ice sheets nor the bedrock depression had time to reach equilibrium states. The non-equilibrium nature of the ice sheets with only short periods between relatively rapid advance and retreat phases is an important factor that needs to be taken into account in assessing the reconstructions of the ice sheets. This emphasises the need for further work with dynamic ice sheet models and coupled global atmosphere ocean models to determine more clearly the sequence of changes during the growth and decay of the large ice sheets. ‘The Last Great Ice Sheets’ provides a timely data base and compilation to support these studies.     

Evidence for the loss of snow-deposited MSA to the interstitial gaseous phase in central Antarctic firn

We have examined several MSA (methanesulfonic acid) records from the upper 200 m of the Antarctic ice sheet and in particular the new Dome F profile. At all the four sites studied, concentration profiles exhibit similar patterns as a function of depth. They suggest that snow metamorphism and solid phase migration are responsible for a marked release of gaseous MSA to interstitial firn air as well as probably to the free atmosphere, in particular at extremely low accumulation sites. Snow acidity can also modify MSA concentration. It is proposed that, below the upper few metres where the communication with the free atmosphere is possible, gaseous MSA may remain in the firn layers and be entrapped later in air bubbles at pore close-off, i.e. when firn is transformed into ice. Chemical measurements on the firn core do not take into account the MSA released to the gaseous phase, but this fraction is measurable in ice samples. In spite of these alterations occurring in the firn layers, relative changes of the atmospheric MSA concentration in the past are probably still there deep within the Antarctic ice sheet. However, for glacial periods, different processes have to be considered in relation to modified aerosol properties.     

An investigation of the small ice cap instability in the Southern Hemisphere with a coupled atmosphere-sea ice-ocean-terrestrial ice model

 A simple climate model has been developed to investigate the existence of the small ice cap instability in the Southern Hemisphere. The model consists of four coupled components: an atmospheric energy balance model, a thermodynamic snow-sea ice model, an oceanic mixed layer model and a terrestrial ice model. Results from a series of experiments involving different degrees of coupling in the model show that the instability appears only in those cases when an explicit representation of the Antarctic ice sheet is not included in the model. In order to determine which physical processes in the ice sheet model lead to a stabilization of the system we have conducted several sensitivity experiments in each of which a given ice sheet process has been removed from the control formulation of the model. Results from these experiments suggest that the feedback between the elevation of the ice sheet and the snow accumulation-ice ablation balance is responsible for the disappearance of the small ice cap instability in our simulation. In the model, the mass balance of the ice sheet depends on the air temperature at sea level corrected for altitude and it is, therefore, a function of surface elevation. This altitude-mass balance feedback effectively decouples the location of the ice edge from any specific sea level isotherm, thus decreasing the model sensitivity to the albedo-temperature feedback, which is responsible for the appearance of the instability. It is also shown that the elevation-radiative cooling feedback tends to stabilize the ice sheet, although its effect does not seem to be strong enough to remove the instability. Another interesting result is that for those simulations which include the terrestrial ice model with elevation-dependent surface mass balance, hysteresis is exhibited, where for a given level of external forcing, two stable solutions with different, non-zero ice-sheet volume and area and different air and ocean temperature fields occur. However, no unstable transition between the two solutions is ever observed. Our results suggest that the small ice cap instability mechanism could be unsuitable for explaining the inception of glaciation in Antarctica. Received: 14 April 1997 / Accepted: 22 October 1997     

Climate modification by future ice sheet changes and consequences for ice sheet mass balance

The future evolution of global ice sheets under anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and its impact on the climate system, including the regional climate of the ice sheets, are investigated with a comprehensive earth system model consisting of a coupled Atmosphere–Ocean General Circulation Model, a dynamic vegetation model and an ice sheet model. The simulated control climate is realistic enough to permit a direct coupling of the atmosphere and ice sheet components, avoiding the use of anomaly coupling, which represents a strong improvement with respect to previous modelling studies. Glacier ablation is calculated with an energy-balance scheme, a more physical approach than the commonly used degree-day method. Modifications of glacier mask, topographic height and freshwater fluxes by the ice sheets influence the atmosphere and ocean via dynamical and thermodynamical processes. Several simulations under idealized scenarios of greenhouse forcing have been performed, where the atmospheric carbon dioxide stabilizes at two and four times pre-industrial levels. The evolution of the climate system and the ice sheets in the simulations with interactive ice sheets is compared with the simulations with passively coupled ice sheets. For a four-times CO₂ scenario forcing, a faster decay rate of the Greenland ice sheet is found in the non-interactive case, where melting rates are higher. This is caused by overestimation of the increase in near-surface temperature that follows the reduction in topographic height. In areas close to retreating margins, melting rates are stronger in the interactive case, due to changes in local albedo. Our results call for careful consideration of the feedbacks operating between ice sheets and climate after substantial decay of the ice sheets.     

Simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum climates using a general circulation model: prescribed versus computed sea surface temperatures

 The climate during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) has been simulated using the UK Universities Global Atmospheric Modelling Programme (UGAMP) general circulation model (GCM) with both prescribed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) based on the CLIMAP reconstruction and computed SSTs with a simple thermodynamic slab ocean. Consistent with the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP), the other boundary conditions include the large changes in ice-sheet topography and geography, a lower sea level, a lower concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere, and a slightly different insolation pattern at the top of the atmosphere. The results are analysed in terms of changes in atmospheric circulation. Emphasis is given to the changes in surface temperatures, planetary waves, storm tracks and the associated changes in distribution of precipitation. The model responds in a similar manner to the changes in boundary conditions to previous studies in global mean statistics, but differs in its treatment of regional climates. Results also suggest that both the land ice sheets and sea ice introduce significant changes in planetary waves and transient eddy activity, which in turn affect regional climates. The computed SST simulations predict less sea ice and cooler tropical temperatures than those based on CLIMAP SSTs. It is unclear as to whether this is a model and/or a data problem, but the resulting changes in land temperatures and precipitation can be large. Snow mass budget analysis suggests that there is net ice loss along the southern edges of the Laurentide and Fennoscandian ice sheets and net ice gain over other parts of the two ice sheets. The net accumulation is mainly due to the decrease in ablation in the cold climate rather than to the changes in snowfall. The characteristics of the Greenland ice-sheet mass balance in the LGM simulations is also quite different from those in the present-day (PD) simulations. The ablation in the LGM simulations is negligible while it is a very important process in the ice mass budget in the PD simulations. Received: 10 January 1997 / Accepted: 11 December 1997     

全国电线结冰厚度分布及等级预报模型

利用1961-2008年全国电线结冰及相关气象要素台站观测资料,分析电线结冰厚度的空间分布特征,并建立利用前期冰冻日数,前1天日最低气温、相对湿度、风速和降水量预报电线结冰厚度等级的3层人工神经网络BP模型。结果表明:电线结冰厚度最大值在10mm以上的地区,在北方主要位于东北东南部、内蒙古东北部、华北中部以及甘肃南部等地,在南方主要位于安徽东南部、江西北部、湖南南部、湖北西部、重庆南部、贵州中部以及四川东部等地,呈东-西向带状分布。近48年来,安徽黄山和江西庐山覆冰厚度历年极大值和覆冰日数均呈增长趋势;四川峨眉山、甘肃西峰镇的历年极大值和覆冰日数均呈减小趋势。建立的人工神经网络BP模型能在一定程度上预报结冰厚度等级, 模型对近10年的回报结果显示, 准确率为81.3%。