Continuous monitoring of the atmospheric composition in southern Greenland

• Main Author: Bonne, Jean-Louis
• 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), Université de Versailles-Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Marc Delmotte
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: French
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: Greenland; Continuous atmospheric observations; Carbon cycle; CO2; O2; APO; CH4; Hydrologic cycle; Water stables isotopes; Groenland; Observations atmosphériques continues; Cycle du carbonne; Cycle hydrologique; Isotopes stables de l’eau; [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology; Arctic; Ivittuut
• Online Access: https://theses.hal.science/tel-01254787; https://theses.hal.science/tel-01254787/document; https://theses.hal.science/tel-01254787/file/these-doctorat-jlbonne-2cnd-depot_soutenue-20150427.pdf

South Greenland is a key region placed under Arctic and Northern Atlantic influences, whichis poorly documented in terms of atmospheric monitoring. The aim of my thesis is to conductand use the first regional atmospheric observations of CO2, O2, CH4 and isotopic compositionof water vapour and precipitation performed in Ivittuut, a coastal site in south-west Greenland.Which information can we infer from these atmospheric observations, in terms of localatmospheric processes and large scale atmospheric transport variations? Can we use these observationsto document the surface-air exchanges of these compounds, which represent an importantpart of the water and carbon biogeochemical cycles?After validating the observations regarding international precision recommandations, I havebeen able to analyse the variabilities at different time scales, resulting from different specificprocesses. This highlighted the fact the atmospheric composition of our site is weakly influencedby local processes, either for local greenhouse gases sources or small scale atmosphericvariations affecting water vapour isotopic composition. This facilitates the interpretation of ourobservations in terms of large scale atmospheric transport signals.To better understand the observed variations, I related our data series with other observationsoriginating from different sites, and with outputs from different atmospheric models. Ihave first witnessed the links between variations of atmospheric composition and large synopticscale atmospheric transport changes. Then, I have identified the spatial representativity of ourobservations and contributed to the evaluation of atmospheric models. The case study of astrong heat wave covering Greenland during summer 2012 allowed me to study the transport ofwater vapour within an air mass between different stations. It allowed me to provide the firstexperimental observation of deuterium excess conservation during atmospheric transport.Finally, combining observations and atmospheric simulations, I have documented ...