A decade (2008-2017) of water stable isotope composition of precipitation at Concordia Station, East Antarctica
Year: 2024
Authors: Dreossi G., Masiol M., Stenni B., Zannoni D., Scarchilli C., Ciardini V., Casado M., Landais A., Werner M., Cauquoin A., Casasanta G., Del Guasta M., Posocco V., Barbante C.
Autors Affiliation: Ca Foscari Univ Venice, Dept Environm Sci Informat & Stat, Venice, Italy; Inst Polar Sci Natl Res Council Italy ISP CNR, Venice, Italy; ENEA, Lab Observat & Measures Environm & Climate, Rome, Italy; Univ Paris Saclay, Lab Sci Climat & Environm, CNRS, LSCE,IPSL,CEA UVSQ, Gif Sur Yvette, France; Alfred Wegener Inst AWI, Helmholtz Ctr Polar & Marine Res, Bremerhaven, Germany; Univ Tokyo, Inst Ind Sci, Kashiwa, Japan; Natl Res Council Italy CNR, INO, Inst Atmospher Sci & Climate, Bologna, Italy; Natl Res Council Italy CNR, Natl Inst Opt INO, Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy.
Abstract: A 10-year record of oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of precipitation is presented here: from 2008 to 2017, 1483 daily precipitation samples were collected year-round on a raised platform at Concordia Station, East Antarctica. Weather data were retrieved from the Italian Antarctic Meteo-Climatological Observatory automatic weather station (AWS), while ERA5 was used to estimate total precipitation. The delta-temperature relationships were moderately high for daily data (r2=0.63 and 0.64 for delta 18O and delta 2H, respectively) and stronger using monthly data (r2=0.82 for both delta 18O and delta 2H), with a slope of about 0.5 parts per thousand degrees C-1 for delta 18O/TAWS (3.5 parts per thousand degrees C-1 for delta 2H/TAWS), which remains consistent also using annual averages. The isotopic composition of precipitation is the input signal of the snow-ice system, and this dataset will be useful to improve the interpretation of paleoclimate records and promote a better understanding of the post-depositional processes affecting the isotopic signal in ice cores. This dataset represents a benchmark for the evaluation of isotope-enabled general circulation models. Here, the ECHAM6-wiso output was compared to experimental data, showing moderately good relationships for delta 18O and delta 2H but not for d-excess, nonetheless marking a substantial improvement from the previous release of the model.
Journal/Review: CRYOSPHERE
Volume: 18 (9) Pages from: 3911 to: 3931
More Information: This research has been supported by the Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Universita e della Ricerca (grant no. PNRA18_00031 (WHETSTONE) and grant no. PNRA2013/AC3.05 (PRE-REC)).KeyWords: General-circulation Model; Deuterium Excess Signal; Dome-c; Ice-core; Snow Accumulation; Surface-temperature; Climate Variability; Vostok Station; Cycles; PlateauDOI: 10.5194/tc-18-3911-2024