2019-20 Honours project - Extending and understanding the South West Western Australian rainfall record using the Dome Summit South ice core, East Antarctica [THESIS]

• Other Authors: Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), Department of the Environment (DoE), Australian Government (hasAssociationWith), IMAS Data Manager (pointOfContact), Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS) (hasAssociationWith), Jong, Lenneke M (collaborator), Jong, Lenneke, Dr (collaborator), Phipps, Steven (collaborator), Roberts, Jason (collaborator), Zheng,Yaowen (pointOfContact), Zheng,Yaowen (hasPrincipalInvestigator)
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of Tasmania, Australia
• Subjects: climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | ICE CORE RECORDS; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE FORCING; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE FORCING | CARBON DIOXIDE FORCING; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE FORCING | ORBITAL CHANGE FORCING; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE FORCING | SOLAR FORCING; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE FORCING | VOLCANIC FORCING; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; EARTH SCIENCE | CLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE INDICATORS | PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS | DROUGHT/PRECIPITATION RECONSTRUCTION; EARTH SCIENCE | PALEOCLIMATE; EARTH SCIENCE | PALEOCLIMATE | ICE CORE RECORDS; Climatology (excl. Climate Change Processes); EARTH SCIENCES; ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES; Antarctic; East Antarctica; South Ice; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice core
• Online Access: https://researchdata.edu.au/2019-20-honours-antarctica-thesis/1727898

Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned Statement: An inverse relationship between rainfall in South West Western Australia (SWWA) and the snowfall recorded in the Dome Summit South (DSS) ice core, East Antarctica, was found by van Ommen and Morgan (2010). We test the statistical significance of this negative correlation and use a 2000-year DSS snow accumulation record to reconstruct SWWA rainfall from 22 BCE to 2015 CE. We also analysis 1500-year model simulations from CSIRO Mk3L climate model. Use statistical techniques to compare the rainfall reconstruction with climate model simulations to determine the drivers of the rainfall changes in SWWA. Credit Australian Research Council's Special Research Initiative for the Antarctic Gateway Partnership (Project ID SR140300001) Credit Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research, a joint research centre between QNLM and CSIRO, and (iii) the Australia’s Antarctic program (AAS 4061, 4062 and 4537) Credit IMAS Honours Student Program 2019-2020 The prolonged rainfall reduction in South West Western Australia (SWWA) in recent decades has previously been reported to be unprecedented in the past 750 years. This rainfall reduction has reduced the water supply for both residents and agriculture in SWWA. However, the cause of this rainfall reduction is unclear. The relatively short length of the SWWA instrumental rainfall record limits long term studies of SWWA rainfall. In this study, SWWA rainfall is reconstructed based on a statistically significant negative correlation between SWWA rainfall and snowfall at Dome Summit South (DSS), East Antarctica. The 2000-year DSS snow accumulation record is used to reconstruct SWWA rainfall from 22 BCE to 2015 CE. With Cumulative Summation (CUSUM) analysis applied to the rainfall reconstruction, it is found that SWWA rainfall started to reduce around 1971 CE. This prolonged rainfall reduction is unprecedented during the past 750 years, but there have been two prior droughts of similar duration and intensity during the ...