Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core
Accumulation and delta O-18 data from Alpine ice cores provide information on past temperature and precipitation. However, their correlation with seasonal or annual mean temperature and precipitation at nearby sites is often low. This is partly due to the irregular sampling of the atmosphere by the...
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ftunivbern:oai:boris.unibe.ch:38890 2023-08-20T04:07:11+02:00 Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core Brönnimann, Stefan Mariani, I. Schwikowski, Margit Auchmann, Renate Eichler, Anja 2013 application/pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/38890/1/cp-9-2013-2013.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/38890/ https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013 eng eng Copernicus Publications https://boris.unibe.ch/38890/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Brönnimann, Stefan; Mariani, I.; Schwikowski, Margit; Auchmann, Renate; Eichler, Anja (2013). Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core. Climate of the past, 9(4), pp. 2013-2022. Göttingen: Copernicus Publications 10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013 <http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013> 570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry 910 Geography & travel info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion PeerReviewed 2013 ftunivbern https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013 2023-07-31T21:00:42Z Accumulation and delta O-18 data from Alpine ice cores provide information on past temperature and precipitation. However, their correlation with seasonal or annual mean temperature and precipitation at nearby sites is often low. This is partly due to the irregular sampling of the atmosphere by the ice core (i.e. ice cores almost only record precipitation events and not dry periods) and the possible incongruity between annual layers and calendar years. Using daily meteorological data from a nearby station and reanalyses, we replicate the ice core from the Grenzgletscher (Switzerland, 4200m a.s.l.) on a sample-by-sample basis by calculating precipitation-weighted temperature (PWT) over short intervals. Over the last 15 yr of the ice core record, accumulation and delta O-18 variations can be well reproduced on a sub-seasonal scale. This allows a wiggle-matching approach for defining quasi-annual layers, resulting in high correlations between measured quasi-annual delta O-18 and PWT. Further back in time, the agreement deteriorates. Nevertheless, we find significant correlations over the entire length of the record (1938-1993) of ice core delta O-18 with PWT, but not with annual mean temperature. This is due to the low correlations between PWT and annual mean temperature, a characteristic which in ERA-Interim reanalysis is also found for many other continental mid-to-high-latitude regions. The fact that meteorologically very different years can lead to similar combinations of PWT and accumulation poses limitations to the use of delta O-18 from Alpine ice cores for temperature reconstructions. Rather than for reconstructing annual mean temperature, delta O-18 from Alpine ice cores should be used to reconstruct PWT over quasi-annual periods. This variable is reproducible in reanalysis or climate model data and could thus be assimilated into conventional climate models. Article in Journal/Newspaper ice core BORIS (Bern Open Repository and Information System, University of Bern) Climate of the Past 9 4 2013 2022 |
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Open Polar |
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BORIS (Bern Open Repository and Information System, University of Bern) |
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ftunivbern |
language |
English |
topic |
570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry 910 Geography & travel |
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570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry 910 Geography & travel Brönnimann, Stefan Mariani, I. Schwikowski, Margit Auchmann, Renate Eichler, Anja Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core |
topic_facet |
570 Life sciences biology 540 Chemistry 910 Geography & travel |
description |
Accumulation and delta O-18 data from Alpine ice cores provide information on past temperature and precipitation. However, their correlation with seasonal or annual mean temperature and precipitation at nearby sites is often low. This is partly due to the irregular sampling of the atmosphere by the ice core (i.e. ice cores almost only record precipitation events and not dry periods) and the possible incongruity between annual layers and calendar years. Using daily meteorological data from a nearby station and reanalyses, we replicate the ice core from the Grenzgletscher (Switzerland, 4200m a.s.l.) on a sample-by-sample basis by calculating precipitation-weighted temperature (PWT) over short intervals. Over the last 15 yr of the ice core record, accumulation and delta O-18 variations can be well reproduced on a sub-seasonal scale. This allows a wiggle-matching approach for defining quasi-annual layers, resulting in high correlations between measured quasi-annual delta O-18 and PWT. Further back in time, the agreement deteriorates. Nevertheless, we find significant correlations over the entire length of the record (1938-1993) of ice core delta O-18 with PWT, but not with annual mean temperature. This is due to the low correlations between PWT and annual mean temperature, a characteristic which in ERA-Interim reanalysis is also found for many other continental mid-to-high-latitude regions. The fact that meteorologically very different years can lead to similar combinations of PWT and accumulation poses limitations to the use of delta O-18 from Alpine ice cores for temperature reconstructions. Rather than for reconstructing annual mean temperature, delta O-18 from Alpine ice cores should be used to reconstruct PWT over quasi-annual periods. This variable is reproducible in reanalysis or climate model data and could thus be assimilated into conventional climate models. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Brönnimann, Stefan Mariani, I. Schwikowski, Margit Auchmann, Renate Eichler, Anja |
author_facet |
Brönnimann, Stefan Mariani, I. Schwikowski, Margit Auchmann, Renate Eichler, Anja |
author_sort |
Brönnimann, Stefan |
title |
Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core |
title_short |
Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core |
title_full |
Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core |
title_fullStr |
Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core |
title_full_unstemmed |
Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core |
title_sort |
simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an alpine ice core |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://boris.unibe.ch/38890/1/cp-9-2013-2013.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/38890/ https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013 |
genre |
ice core |
genre_facet |
ice core |
op_source |
Brönnimann, Stefan; Mariani, I.; Schwikowski, Margit; Auchmann, Renate; Eichler, Anja (2013). Simulating the temperature and precipitation signal in an Alpine ice core. Climate of the past, 9(4), pp. 2013-2022. Göttingen: Copernicus Publications 10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013 <http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013> |
op_relation |
https://boris.unibe.ch/38890/ |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2013-2013 |
container_title |
Climate of the Past |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
2013 |
op_container_end_page |
2022 |
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1774718649125306368 |