A comparison between global distribution of real and radiation-equilibrium surface temperatures

Studies of the cryosphere including sea ice cover and continental glaciers and glacier systems are particularly important within the concept of present climate warming. Radiation is one of the main factors to determine the mass budget of the above mentioned objects. The paper presents an attempt to assess the stability of the cryosphere objects. The following local criterion is used for this purpose: radiation-equilibrium yearly average surface temperature is negative even if the short-wave component of a downward radiation flux is completely absorbed. Surface temperature (general and radiation-equilibrium) fields under analysis were computed from the 1984-2007 simulation data. The results showed that the cryosphere objects in polar zones are rather stable relative to local disbalances associated with an abrupt decrease in albedo. At the same time, at middle and low latitudes, e.g. in Himalayas, some alpine glacier systems have no such stability.