Glacier thinning causes warmer and drier regional climate at the Jostedalsbreen ice cap in western Norway

Abstract. Glacier recession gives rise to changes in land surface type and topography that are poorly represented in atmospheric models but may have important local impacts on climate. Implementing these changes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the Jostedalsbreen ice cap in western Norway results in warmer and drier regional climate with less snow that can amplify glacier recession through a positive feedback effect. Most of the climatic response to glacier recession is related to the surface lowering associated with ice melt, resulting in reduced orographic lifting of moist air masses and higher surface pressure. The climatic response to glacier recession is largest where the ice melts but is also evident in adjacent valleys several kilometers away from the ice cap. While the warming by glacier recession amplifies effects of global warming, reduced precipitation counteracts the projected regional increase in precipitation. These findings should be included in estimates of glacier mass balance and have implications for agriculture, hydropower, tourism, and biodiversity around glacierised landscapes.