A Review of Antarctic Surface Snow Isotopic Composition: Observations, Atmospheric Circulation, and Isotopic Modeling

• Published in: Journal of Climate
• Main Authors: Masson-Delmotte, Valérie, Hou, Shugui, Ekaykin, Alexey, Jouzel, Jean, Aristarain, A., Bernardo, T. R., Bromwich, D., Cattani, O., Delmotte, M., Falourd, S., Frezzotti, Massimo, Gallée, Hubert, Genoni, L., Isaksson, Elisabeth, Landais, Amaelle, Helsen, M. M., Hoffmann, Georg, Lopez, J., Morgan, Vin, Motoyama, Hideaki, Noone, D., Oerter, Hans, Petit, Jean-Robert, Royer, A., Uemura, R., Schmidt, G. A., Schlosser, E., Simões, J., Steig, E. J., Stenni, Barbara, Stievenard, M., van den Broeke, M. R., van de Wal, R. S. W., van de Berg, W. J., Vimeux, Françoise, White, J. W. C.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Glaces et Continents, Climats et Isotopes Stables (GLACCIOS), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Laboratory of Cryosphere and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing (CAS), Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet), Laboratorio de Estratigrafía Glaciar y Geoquímica del Agua y de la Nieve, Instituto Antártico Argentino, Nucleo de Pesquisas Antarcticas e Climaticas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre (UFRGS), Ohio State University Columbus (OSU), ICOS-RAMCES (ICOS-RAMCES), Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente (ENEA), Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Geological, Environmental and Marine Sciences Trieste, Università degli studi di Trieste = University of Trieste, Norwegian Polar Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ), Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU), Universiteit Utrecht / Utrecht University Utrecht, Departamento de Geologica y Geoquimica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE-CRC), National Institute of Polar Research Tokyo (NiPR), Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Boulder (ATOC), University of Colorado Boulder, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder -National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Abteilung Klinische Sozialmedizin, Berufs- und Umweltdermatologie, Universität Heidelberg Heidelberg = Heidelberg University, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics Innsbruck, Leopold Franzens Universität Innsbruck - University of Innsbruck, Department of Earth and Space Sciences Seattle, University of Washington Seattle, Géochrononologie Traceurs Archéométrie (GEOTRAC), Glaciers et ressources en eau d'altitude - Indicateurs climatiques et environnementaux (GREATICE), Institute of Arctic Alpine Research University of Colorado Boulder (INSTAAR), European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2008
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; East Antarctica
• Online Access: https://insu.hal.science/insu-00379745; https://insu.hal.science/insu-00379745/document; https://insu.hal.science/insu-00379745/file/delmotte_hou_jc_2008.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JCLI2139.1

International audience A database of surface Antarctic snow isotopic composition is constructed using available measurements, with an estimate of data quality and local variability. Although more than 1000 locations are documented, the spatial coverage remains uneven with a majority of sites located in specific areas of East Antarctica. The database is used to analyze the spatial variations in snow isotopic composition with respect to geographical characteristics (elevation, distance to the coast) and climatic features (temperature, accumulation) and with a focus on deuterium excess. The capacity of theoretical isotopic, regional, and general circulation atmospheric models (including “isotopic” models) to reproduce the observed features and assess the role of moisture advection in spatial deuterium excess fluctuations is analyzed.