The impact of Föhn conditions across the Antarctic Peninsula on local meteorology based on AWS measurements

Föhn winds are warm, strong, downslope winds on the lee side of mountains, which can last from several hours to a few days. Recently Föhn conditions over the ice shelves on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) mountains have attracted particular interest in the polar science community. H...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Main Authors: Kirchgaessner, Amelie, King, John, Anderson, Philip
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Avery
Avery Plateau
Cole peninsula
Flask Glacier
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Ice Shelf
Ice Shelves
Online Access:https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/1ea2c0da-62c5-475f-9a1f-13db7b9e9df1
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033748
https://pureadmin.uhi.ac.uk/ws/files/15357617/2020JD033748.pdf
Description
Summary:Föhn winds are warm, strong, downslope winds on the lee side of mountains, which can last from several hours to a few days. Recently Föhn conditions over the ice shelves on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) mountains have attracted particular interest in the polar science community. Here, on the Larsen ice shelves (LIS) they provide atmospheric conditions for significant warming over the ice shelf which are thought to have clearly contributed to the collapse of Larsen A and B ice shelves in 1995 and 2002, respectively. We examine the representation of Föhn conditions as observed by measurements at an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) located on Cole Peninsula (CP) on the east of the AP mountain range in 2011. We introduce criteria to identify Föhn conditions and analyze the meteorological conditions at the AWS location with regard to the influence of Föhn overall, and on a seasonal and monthly basis. We consult two cases to highlight the seasonally different effects Föhn can have. We also compare our findings with data obtained in other studies, e.g., an AWS in a comparable location at Flask Glacier (FG). Measurements obtained at a crest AWS on the Avery Plateau (AV), and the analysis of conditions upstream using the Froude number help to put observations at CP into a wider context. Most importantly our data show that Föhn conditions can raise the air temperature to above freezing, and thus trigger melt/sublimation even in winter.

Similar Items