Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors

Snow precipitation is the primary mass input to the Antarctic ice sheet and is one of the most direct climatic indicators, with important implications for paleoclimatic reconstruction from ice cores. Provenance of precipitation and the dynamic conditions that force these precipitation events at four...

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Published in:Climate Dynamics
Main Authors: Scarchilli C., Frezzotti M., Ruti P. M.
Other Authors: Scarchilli, C., Frezzotti, M., Ruti, P. M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11590/353578
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0946-4
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spelling ftunivroma3iris:oai:iris.uniroma3.it:11590/353578 2024-02-27T08:35:16+00:00 Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors Scarchilli C. Frezzotti M. Ruti P. M. Scarchilli, C. Frezzotti, M. Ruti, P. M. 2011 http://hdl.handle.net/11590/353578 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0946-4 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000296476600024 volume:37 issue:9-10 firstpage:2107 lastpage:2125 numberofpages:19 journal:CLIMATE DYNAMICS http://hdl.handle.net/11590/353578 doi:10.1007/s00382-010-0946-4 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-78651448618 Blocking high Precipitation Southern hemisphere dynamic Surface mass balance info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2011 ftunivroma3iris https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0946-4 2024-01-31T17:41:11Z Snow precipitation is the primary mass input to the Antarctic ice sheet and is one of the most direct climatic indicators, with important implications for paleoclimatic reconstruction from ice cores. Provenance of precipitation and the dynamic conditions that force these precipitation events at four deep ice core sites (Dome C, Law Dome, Talos Dome, and Taylor Dome) in East Antarctica were analysed with air mass back trajectories calculated using the Lagrangian model and the mean composite data for precipitation, geopotential height and wind speed field data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast from 1980 to 2001. On an annual basis, back trajectories showed that the Atlantic-Indian and Ross-Pacific Oceans were the main provenances of precipitation in Wilkes Land (80%) and Victoria Land (40%), respectively, whereas the greatest influence of the ice sheet was on the interior near the Vostok site (80%) and in the Southwest Ross Sea (50%), an effect that decreased towards the coast and along the Antarctic slope. Victoria Land received snowfall atypically with respect to other Antarctica areas in terms of pathway (eastern instead of western), seasonality (summer instead of winter) and velocity (old air age). Geopotential height patterns at 500 hPa at low (>10 days) and high (2-6 days) frequencies during snowfall cycles at two core sites showed large positive anomalies at low frequencies developing in the Tasman Sea-Eastern Indian Ocean at higher latitudes (60-70°S) than normal. This could be considered part of an atmospheric blocking event, with transient eddies acting to decelerate westerlies in a split region area and accelerate the flow on the flanks of the low-frequency positive anomalies. © 2010 Springer-Verlag. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet Ross Sea Victoria Land Wilkes Land Anagrafe della Ricerca d'Ateneo (Universitá degli studi Roma Tre) Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica Ross Sea Victoria Land Pacific Indian Wilkes Land ENVELOPE(120.000,120.000,-69.000,-69.000) Law Dome ENVELOPE(112.833,112.833,-66.733,-66.733) Talos Dome ENVELOPE(158.000,158.000,-73.000,-73.000) Taylor Dome ENVELOPE(157.667,157.667,-77.667,-77.667) Climate Dynamics 37 9-10 2107 2125
institution Open Polar
collection Anagrafe della Ricerca d'Ateneo (Universitá degli studi Roma Tre)
op_collection_id ftunivroma3iris
language English
topic Blocking high
Precipitation
Southern hemisphere dynamic
Surface mass balance
spellingShingle Blocking high
Precipitation
Southern hemisphere dynamic
Surface mass balance
Scarchilli C.
Frezzotti M.
Ruti P. M.
Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors
topic_facet Blocking high
Precipitation
Southern hemisphere dynamic
Surface mass balance
description Snow precipitation is the primary mass input to the Antarctic ice sheet and is one of the most direct climatic indicators, with important implications for paleoclimatic reconstruction from ice cores. Provenance of precipitation and the dynamic conditions that force these precipitation events at four deep ice core sites (Dome C, Law Dome, Talos Dome, and Taylor Dome) in East Antarctica were analysed with air mass back trajectories calculated using the Lagrangian model and the mean composite data for precipitation, geopotential height and wind speed field data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast from 1980 to 2001. On an annual basis, back trajectories showed that the Atlantic-Indian and Ross-Pacific Oceans were the main provenances of precipitation in Wilkes Land (80%) and Victoria Land (40%), respectively, whereas the greatest influence of the ice sheet was on the interior near the Vostok site (80%) and in the Southwest Ross Sea (50%), an effect that decreased towards the coast and along the Antarctic slope. Victoria Land received snowfall atypically with respect to other Antarctica areas in terms of pathway (eastern instead of western), seasonality (summer instead of winter) and velocity (old air age). Geopotential height patterns at 500 hPa at low (>10 days) and high (2-6 days) frequencies during snowfall cycles at two core sites showed large positive anomalies at low frequencies developing in the Tasman Sea-Eastern Indian Ocean at higher latitudes (60-70°S) than normal. This could be considered part of an atmospheric blocking event, with transient eddies acting to decelerate westerlies in a split region area and accelerate the flow on the flanks of the low-frequency positive anomalies. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.
author2 Scarchilli, C.
Frezzotti, M.
Ruti, P. M.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Scarchilli C.
Frezzotti M.
Ruti P. M.
author_facet Scarchilli C.
Frezzotti M.
Ruti P. M.
author_sort Scarchilli C.
title Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors
title_short Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors
title_full Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors
title_fullStr Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors
title_full_unstemmed Snow precipitation at four ice core sites in East Antarctica: Provenance, seasonality and blocking factors
title_sort snow precipitation at four ice core sites in east antarctica: provenance, seasonality and blocking factors
publishDate 2011
url http://hdl.handle.net/11590/353578
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0946-4
long_lat ENVELOPE(120.000,120.000,-69.000,-69.000)
ENVELOPE(112.833,112.833,-66.733,-66.733)
ENVELOPE(158.000,158.000,-73.000,-73.000)
ENVELOPE(157.667,157.667,-77.667,-77.667)
geographic Antarctic
The Antarctic
East Antarctica
Ross Sea
Victoria Land
Pacific
Indian
Wilkes Land
Law Dome
Talos Dome
Taylor Dome
geographic_facet Antarctic
The Antarctic
East Antarctica
Ross Sea
Victoria Land
Pacific
Indian
Wilkes Land
Law Dome
Talos Dome
Taylor Dome
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
East Antarctica
ice core
Ice Sheet
Ross Sea
Victoria Land
Wilkes Land
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
East Antarctica
ice core
Ice Sheet
Ross Sea
Victoria Land
Wilkes Land
op_relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000296476600024
volume:37
issue:9-10
firstpage:2107
lastpage:2125
numberofpages:19
journal:CLIMATE DYNAMICS
http://hdl.handle.net/11590/353578
doi:10.1007/s00382-010-0946-4
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-78651448618
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0946-4
container_title Climate Dynamics
container_volume 37
container_issue 9-10
container_start_page 2107
op_container_end_page 2125
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