Oxygen isotope variability in snow from western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and its relation to temperature

M. M. Helsen; R. S. W. van de Wal; M. R. van den Broeke; D. van As; H. A. J. Meijer; C. H. Reijmer

doi:10.3402/tellusb.v57i5.16563

Oxygen isotope variability in snow from western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and its relation to temperature

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology

Volume 57 (2005): Issue 5

By: M. M. Helsen, R. S. W. van de Wal, M. R. van den Broeke, D. van As, H. A. J. Meijer and C. H. Reijmer

Open Access

|Jan 2005

Abstract

This paper presents δ18O records from snow pits from four locations in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica that contain at least four annual cycles. The aim of the study was to analyse in detail these records as well as the prevailing temperatures during accumulation in order to infer to what extent isotopic composition in this area can be interpreted as temperature information. The original seasonal amplitudes of the isotope records were reconstructed by use of a simple back-diffusion model. Automatic weather station data were used to describe the accumulation history and the near-surface temperatures; the temperatures at the atmospheric level of snow formation were inferred from a regional climate model. The results show that the strongly intermittent nature of the accumulation in this area can result in the exclusion of entire seasons from the isotope records. The temperature records also reveal that the oxygen isotope records in these snow pits are biased towards higher temperatures, since snowfall conditions are associated with higher temperatures. This effect is greatest at low temperatures. A comparison between the seasonal extreme isotopic and temperature values points out that on timescales of seasons to several years, isotopic variability cannot be interpreted with confidence as temperature changes at the accumulation sites.

References

Arastarain , A. , Jouzel , J. and Pourchet , M . 1986 . Past Antarctic Penin-sula climate (1850-1980) deduced from an ice core isotope record . Climatic Change , 8 , 69 – 89 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Bolzan , J. and Pohjola , V . 2000. Reconstruction of the undiffused sea-sonal oxygen isotope signal in central Greenland ice cores. J. Geophys. Res ., 105(C9), 22095-22 106.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Cuffey , K. , Clow , G. , Alley , R. , Stuiver , M. , Waddington , E. and Saltus , R . 1995 . Large Arctic temperature change at the Wisconsin-Holocene glacial transition . Science , 270 , 455 – 458 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Cuffey , K. and Steig , E . 1998 . Isotopic diffusion on polar fim: impli-cations for interpretation of seasonal climate parameters in ice-core records, with emphasis on central Greenland . J. Glaciol ., 6 ( 14 ), 273 – 284 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Dansgaard , W . 1964 . Stable isotopes in precipitation . Tellus , 16 , 436 – 468 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
EPICA Community Members 2004 . Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core . Nature 429 , 623 – 628 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Fisher , D . 1991 . Remarks on the deuterium excess in precipitation in cold regions . Tellus 43B , 401 – 407 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Frezzotti , M. , Gandolfi , S. and Urbini , S . 2002. Snow megadunes in Antarctica: sedimentary structure and genesis. J. Geophys. Res ., 1070D18), 4344, 10.1029/2001JDO00673 .
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Friedman , I. , Benson , C. and Gleason , J . 1991. Isotopic changes dur-ing snow metamorphism. In: Stable Isotope Geochemistry: a Tribute to Samuel Epstein, Geochemical Society Special Publication no. 3 (eds H. P. Taylor, R. O'Neill Jr and I. Kaplan). The Geochemical Society, St Louis, MO, 211 – 221
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Graf , W. , Oerter , H. , Reinwarth , O. , Stichler , W. , Wilhelms , E , Miller , H. and Mulvaney , R . 2002 . Stable-isotope records from Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica . Ann. Glaciol ., 35 , 195 – 201 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
GRIP Members 1993 . Climate instability during the last interglacial period recorded in the GRIP ice core . Nature , 6 ( 14 ), 203 – 207 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Helsen , M. , Van de Wal , R. , Van den Broeke , M. , Kerstel , E. , Masson-Delmotte , V. , and co-authors. Modelling the isotopic composition of snow using backward trajectories: a particular accumulation event in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Ann. Glaciol., 39 (in press).
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Isaksson , E. , van den Broeke , M. , Winther , J.-G. , Karla , L. , Pinglot , J. and co-author 1999. Accumulation and proxy temperature variability in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, determined from shallow fim cores. Ann. Glaciol., 29, 17 – 22.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Johnsen , S . 1977. Stable isotope homogenization of polar fim and ice. In: Isotopes and Impurities in Snow and Ice, IAHS Publication 118. International Association of Hydrological Sciences, Washington, DC, 210 – 219
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Johnsen , S. , Clausen , H. , Cuffey , K. , Hoffmann , G. , Schwander , J. and co-author 2000. Diffusion of stable isotopes in polar fim and ice: the isotope effect in fim diffusion. In: Physics of Ice Core Records, (ed. T. Hondoh ). Hokkaido University Press, Sapporo, 121 – 140
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Johnsen , S. , Dahl-Jensen , D. , Dansgaard , W. and Gundestrup , N . 1995 . Greenland palaeotemperatures derived from GRIP bore hole temper-ature and ice core isotope profiles . Tellus 47B , 624 – 629 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Jouzel , J. , Alley , R. , Cuffey , C. , Dansgaard , W. , Grootes , P. and co-authors 1997. Validity of the temperature reconstruction from wa-ter isotopes in ice cores. J. Geophys. Res . 102 ( C12 ), 26 471-26 487.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Jouzel , J. and Merlivat , L . 1984. Deuterium and oxygen 18 in pre-cipitation: modeling of the isotopic effects during snow formation. J. Geophys. Res ., 89(D7), 11 749-11 757.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Jouzel , J. , Vimeux , E , Caillon , N. , Delaygue , G. , Hoffmann , G. and co-authors 2003. Magnitude of isotope/temperature scaling for inter-pretation of central Antarctic ice cores. J. Geophys. Res . 108 ( D12 ), 4361, 10.1029/2002JD002677 .
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Karlöf , L. , Winther , J.-G. , Isaksson , E. , Kohler , J. , Pinglot , J. and co-authors 2000. A 1500 year record of accumulation at Amund-senisen western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, derived from elec-trical and radioactive measurements on a 120 mice core. J. Geophys. Res . 105 ( D10 ), 12 471-12 483.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Kavanaugh , J. and Cuffey , K . 2003 . Space and time variation of 3180 and Sd in Antarctic precipitation revised . Global Biogeochem. Cycles , 17 ( 1 ), 1017 , 10.1029/2002GB001910 .
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
King , J. , Andersen , P. , Vaughan , D. , Mann , G. , Mobbs , S. and co-author 2004. Wind-borne redistribution of snow across an Antarctic ice rise. J. Geophys. Res . 109 ( D11104 ), 10.1029/2003JD004361 .
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Loewe , E 1936 . The Greenland ice cap as seen by a meteorologist . Q. J. R. Meteorol Soc ., 62 , 359 – 377 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Masson-Delmotte , V. , Delmotte , M. , Morgan , V. , Etheridge , D. , van Ommen , T. and co-authors 2003. Recent southern Indian Ocean cli-mate variability inferred from a Law Dome ice core: new insights for the interpretation of coastal Antarctic isotopic records. Clim. Dynam., 21 ( 2 ), 153 – 166.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
McMorrow , A. , Curran , M. , van Ommen , T. , Morgan , V. , Pook , M. and co-author 2001. Intercomparison of fim core and meteorological data. Antarct. Sci. 13 ( 3 ), 329 – 337.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Merlivat , L. and Jouzel , J . 1979 . Global climatic interpretation of the deuterium-oxygen 18 relationship for precipitation . J. Geophys. Res ., 84 ( C8 ), 5029 – 5033 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Neumann , T. and Waddington , E . 2004 . Effects of fim ventilation on isotopic exchange . J. Glaciol . 6 ( 14 ), 183 – 194 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Noone , D. , Turner , J. and Mulvaney , R . 1999 . Atmospheric signals and characteristics of accumulation on Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica . J. Geophys. Res. 104(D16) , 19 191-19 211 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Oerter , H. , Graf , W. , Wilhelms , E , Minikin , A. and Miller , H . 1999 . Ac-cumulation studies on Amundsenisen, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, by means of tritium, dielectric profiling and stable-isotope mea-surements: first results from the 1995-96 and 1996-97 field seasons . Ann. Glaciol . 29 , 1 – 9 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Peel , D. , Mulvaney , R. and Davison , B . 1988 . Stable-isotope/air-temperature relationships in ice cores from Dolleman Island and the Palmer Land plateau, Antarctic Peninsula . Ann. Glaciol . 10 , 130 – 136 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Petit , J. , Jouzel , J. , Raynaud , D. , Barkov , N. , Bamola , J.-M. and co-authors 1999. Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica. Nature 399, 429 – 436.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Reijmer , C. and Van den Broeke , M . 2003 . Temporal and spatial variabil-ity of the surface mass balance in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, as derived from automatic weather stations . J. Glaciol . 49 ( 167 ), 512 – 520 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Reijmer , C. , Van Meijgaard , E. and Van den Broeke , M . 2005 . Evalu-ation of temperature and wind over Antarctica in a Regional Atmo-spheric Climate Model using one year of automatic weather station data and upper air observations . J. Geophys. Res . 110 ( D4 ), D04103 , 10.1029/2004JD005234 .
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Richardson , C. , Aarholt , E. , Hamran , S.-E. , Holmlund , P. and Esaksson , E . 1997 . Spatial distribution of snow in western Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, mapped by a ground-based snow radar . J. Geophys. Res. 102(B9) , 20 343-20 353 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Robin , G . 1983 . The climatic record from ice cores . In: The Climatic Record in Polar ke Sheets (ed.G. Robin). Cambridge University Press , Cambridge , 180 – 195 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Shuman , C. , Alley , R. , Anandakrishnan , S. , White , J. , Grootes , P. and co-author 1995. Temperature and accumulation at the Greenland Summit: comparison of high-resolution isotope profiles and satellite passive microwave brightness temperature trends . J. Geophys. Res . 100 ( D5 ), 9165-9177 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Van den Broeke , M. , Reijmer , C. and Van de Wal , R . 2004 . Surface radi-ation balance in Antarctica as measured with automatic weather sta-tions . J. Geophys. Res . 109 , ( D09103 ), 10.1029/2003JD004394 .
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Van den Broeke , M. , Van As , D. , Reijmer , C. and Van de Wal , R . Seasonal cycles of Antarctic surface energy balance using automatic weather stations. Ann. Glaciol., 41, (in press).
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Van den Broeke , M. , Van Lipzig , N. and Van Meijgaard , E . 2002 . Mo-mentum budget of the east Antarctic atmospheric boundary layer: results of a regional climate model . J. Atmos. Sci . 59 ( 21 ), 3117 – 3129 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Van Lipzig , N. , Van Meijgaard , E. and Oerlemans , J . 2002 . The effect of temporal variations in the surface mass balance and temperature-inversion strength on the interpretation of ice-core signals . J. Glaciol . 48 ( 163 ), 611 – 621 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Van Ommen , T. and Morgan , V . 1997 . Calibrating the ice core paleother-mometer using seasonality . J. Geophys. Res . 102 ( D8 ), 9351 – 9357 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Werner , M. , Mikolajewicz , U. , Heimann , M. and Hoffmann , G . 2000 . Borehole versus isotope temperatures on Greenland: seasonality does matter . Geophys. Res. Lett . 27 ( 5 ), 723 – 726 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Whillans , I. and Grootes , P . 1985 . Isotopic diffusion on cold snow and fim . J. Geophys. Res . 90 ( D2 ), 3910 – 3918 .
Search in Google Scholar Back to article

Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v57i5.16563 | Journal eISSN: 1600-0889

Journal RSS Feed

Language: English

Page range: 423 - 435

Submitted on: Dec 23, 2004

Accepted on: Jun 7, 2005

Published on: Jan 1, 2005

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 2005 M. M. Helsen, R. S. W. van de Wal, M. R. van den Broeke, D. van As, H. A. J. Meijer, C. H. Reijmer, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 57 (2005): Issue 5