Spatial and temporal variability of snow accumulation in East Antarctica from traverse data

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Frezzotti, M., Pourchet, M., Flora, O., Gandolfi, S., Gay, M., Urbini, S., Vincent, C., Becagli, S., Gragnani, R., Proposito, M., Severi, M., Traversi, R., Udisti, R., Fily, M.
• Other Authors: Frezzotti, M.; Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente, ‘Progetto Clima Globale’, Rome, Italy, Pourchet, M.; Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, CNRS, Saint Martin d’Hères, France, Flora, O.; Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Ambientali e Marine, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy, Gandolfi, S.; Dipartimento di Ingegneria delle Strutture, dei Trasporti, delle Acque, del Rilevamento, del Territorio, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Gay, M.; Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, CNRS, Saint Martin d’Hères, France, Urbini, S.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Vincent, C.; Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, CNRS, Saint Martin d’Hères, France, Becagli, S.; Dipartimento di Chimica, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, Gragnani, R.; Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente, ‘Progetto Clima Globale’, Rome, Italy, Proposito, M.; Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente, ‘Progetto Clima Globale’, Rome, Italy, Severi, M.; Dipartimento di Chimica, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, Traversi, R.; Dipartimento di Chimica, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, Udisti, R.; Dipartimento di Chimica, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, Fily, M.; Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, CNRS, Saint Martin d’Hères, France, Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente, ‘Progetto Clima Globale’, Rome, Italy, Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, CNRS, Saint Martin d’Hères, France, Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Ambientali e Marine, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy, Dipartimento di Ingegneria delle Strutture, dei Trasporti, delle Acque, del Rilevamento, del Territorio, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Dipartimento di Chimica, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: International Glaciological Society 2005
• Subjects: East Antarctica; GPR; GPS; snow accumulation; 02. Cryosphere::02.02. Glaciers::02.02.02. Cryosphere/atmosphere Interaction; 02. Cryosphere::02.02. Glaciers::02.02.06. Mass balance; Terra Nova Bay; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice core
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2122/4052; https://doi.org/10.3189/172756505781829502

Recent snow accumulation rate is a key quantity for ice core and mass balance studies. Several accumulation measurement methods (stake farm, fin core, snow-radar profiling, surface morphology, remote sensing) were used, compared and integrated at eight sites along a transect from Terra Nova Bay to Dome C (East Antarctica) to provide information about the spatial and temporal variability of snow accumulation. Thirty-nine cores were dated by identifying tritium/β marker levels (1965–66[AUTHOR: Please check dates, I don’t think this agrees with table 1]) and no-sea-salt (nss) SO4 raised to the power of 2– spikes of the Tambora volcanic event (1816) in order to provide information on temporal variability. Cores were linked by snow radar and GPS surveys to provide detailed information on spatial variability in snow accumulation. Stake farm and ice core accumulation rates are observed to differ significantly, but isochrones (snow radar) correlate well with ice core derived accumulation. The accumulation/ablation pattern from stake measurements suggests that the annual local noise (metre scale) in snow accumulation can approach 2 years of ablation and more than four times the average annual accumulation, with no accumulation or ablation for a 5-year period in up to 40% of cases. The spatial variability of snow accumulation at the kilometre scale is one order of magnitude higher than temporal variability at the multi-decadal/secular scale. Stake measurements and firn cores at Dome C confirm an approximate 30% increase in accumulation over the last two centuries, with respect to the average over the last 5000 years. Published 113-124 3.8. Geofisica per l'ambiente JCR Journal reserved