Extended Abstract (144K)7.6
An examination of the precipitation delivery mechanisms at Dolleman Island, Antarctica, from ECMWF re-analysis and ice core data
Andrew Russell, The University of Birmingham, UK, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom; and G. R. McGregor and G. J. Marshall
ECMWF re-analysis data (ERA-15) are used to construct the precipitation regime for the years 1979-1993 at Dolleman Island (~70°S, 60°W) located on the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The annual precipitation data from ERA-15 is then compared to the accumulation record from an ice core drilled on the island in 1992. The ERA-15 precipitation and ice core data are used to identify high and low accumulation years. Back trajectory analyses for these years are performed in order to establish whether there are climatological differences in the atmospheric pathways associated with precipitation delivery during high and low accumulation years. Based on analysis outcomes, conclusions concerning the climatological link between southern hemisphere atmospheric circulation and accumulation at Dolleman Island are drawn. The utility of such links for interpreting the full 340 year Dolleman ice core record are then discussed.
Session 7, The Southern Hemisphere oceans and the cryosphere
Tuesday, 25 March 2003, 1:30 PM-5:15 PM
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