High resolution stable water isotope composition (δ¹⁸O and dD) of two firn cores at the northern Antarctic Peninsula ...

• Main Authors: Fernandoy, Francisco, Tetzner, Dieter, Meyer, Hanno, Gacitúa, Guisella, Hoffmann, Kirstin, Falk, Ulrike
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2017
• Subjects: Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems @ AWI AWI_Envi; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Antarctica; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.871083; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.871083

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most challenging regions of Antarctica from a climatological perspective, owing to the recent atmospheric and oceanic warming. The steep topography and a lack of long-term and in situ meteorological observations complicate extrapolation of existing climate models to the sub-regional scale. Here, we present new evidence from the northern Antarctic Peninsula to demonstrate how stable water isotopes of firn cores and recent precipitation samples can reveal climatic processes related to nearby oceanic and atmospheric conditions. A noticeable effect of the sea ice cover on local temperatures and atmospheric modes, in particular the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), is demonstrated. In years with large sea ice extension in winter (negative SAM anomaly), an inversion layer in the lower troposphere develops at the coastal zone. Therefore, an isotope-temperature relationship valid for all seasons cannot be concluded. The delta-T relationship rather depends on seasonal variability of ... : Supplement to: Fernandoy, Francisco; Tetzner, Dieter; Meyer, Hanno; Gacitúa, Guisella; Hoffmann, Kirstin; Falk, Ulrike; Lambert, Fabrice; MacDonell, Shelley (2018): New insights into the use of stable water isotopes at the northern Antarctic Peninsula as a tool for regional climate studies. The Cryosphere, 12(3), 1069-1090 ...