Stable isotopes in surface snow along a traverse route from Zhongshan station to Dome A, East Antarctica

Xiao, Cunde; Ding, Minghu; Masson‐Delmotte, Valérie; Zhang, Renhe; Jin, Bo; Ren, Jiawen; Li, C.; Werner, Martin; Wang, Y.; Cui, Xiangbin; Wang, X.

doi:10.1007/s00382-012-1580-0

Cited by 25 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In general, this exchange is < 10 %, and typically < 3 %, of the total O atoms Ding et al (2011). b Mean annual temperatures are derived from 10 m borehole temperatures and automatic weather station observations (Ding et al, 2010;Xiao et al, 2013). in the produced N 2 O and is corrected for using the measured oxygen isotope compositions of snow (δ 18 O(H 2 O)) and water in the bacteria/media (see Casciotti et al, 2002;Kaiser et al, 2007 for correction schemes). δ 18 O(H 2 O) was determined using the standard CO 2 equilibration method (Johnsen et al, 1997 (Erbland et al, 2013) and we find a similar range for P1 in our study (see below).…”

Section: Sample Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of post-depositional processing of nitrate in East Antarctic snow: isotopic constraints on photolytic loss, re-oxidation, and source inputs

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Snowpits along a traverse from coastal East Antarctica to the summit of the ice sheet (Dome Argus) are used to investigate the post-depositional processing of nitrate (NO − 3 ) in snow. Seven snowpits from sites with accumulation rates between 24 and 172 kg m −2 a −1 were sampled to depths of 150 to 300 cm. At sites from the continental interior (low accumulation, < 55 kg m −2 a −1 ), nitrate mass fraction is generally > 200 ng g −1 in surface snow and decreases quickly with depth to < 50 ng g −1 . Considerably increasing values of δ 15 N of nitrate are also observed (16-461 ‰ vs. air N 2 ), particularly in the top 20 cm, which is consistent with predicted fractionation constants for the photolysis of nitrate. The δ 18 O of nitrate (17-84 ‰ vs. VSMOW (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water)), on the other hand, decreases with increasing δ 15 N, suggestive of secondary formation of nitrate in situ (following photolysis) with a low δ 18 O source. Previous studies have suggested that δ 15 N and δ 18 O of nitrate at deeper snow depths should be predictable based upon an exponential change derived near the surface. At deeper depths sampled in this study, however, the relationship between nitrate mass fraction and δ 18 O changes, with increasing δ 18 O of nitrate observed between 100 and 200 cm. Predicting the impact of post-depositional loss, and therefore changes in the isotopes with depth, is highly sensitive to the depth interval over which an exponential change is assumed. In the snowpits collected closer to the coast (accumulation > 91 kg m −2 a −1 ), there are no obvious trends detected with depth and instead seasonality in nitrate mass fraction and isotopic composition is found. In comparison to the interior sites, the coastal pits are lower in δ 15 N (−15-71 ‰ vs. air N 2 ) and higher in δ 18 O of nitrate (53-111 ‰ vs. VSMOW). The relationships found amongst mass fraction, δ 15 N, δ 18 O and 17 O ( 17 O = δ 17 O-0.52 × δ 18 O) of nitrate cannot be explained by local post-depositional processes alone, and are instead interpreted in the context of a primary atmospheric signal. Consistent with other Antarctic observational and modeling studies, the isotopic results are suggestive of an important influence of stratospheric ozone chemistry on nitrate formation during the cold season and a mix of tropospheric sources and chemistry during the warm season. Overall, the findings in this study speak to the sensitivity of nitrate isotopic composition to post-depositional processing and highlight the strength of combined use of the nitrogen and oxygen isotopes for a mechanistic understanding of this processing.

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Section: Sample Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of post-depositional processing of nitrate in East Antarctic snow: isotopic constraints on photolytic loss, re-oxidation, and source inputs

et al. 2015

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“…3 shows, the δ value ranges from −40.30 ‰ to −52.75 ‰, with an average of −47.86 ‰, and the standard deviation is 3.42 ‰. In contrast to previous studies (Ding et al, 2010;Xiao et al, 2012), this result captures the correct level of the local stable oxygen isotopic composition.…”

Section: Location and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Although we have carried out detailed survey and modelling work (e.g. Hou et al, 2007;Xiao et al, 2008Xiao et al, , 2012Sun et al, 2009;Ding et al, 2010Ding et al, , 2011Wang et al, 2012), the post-depositional processes should not be neglected or misjudged. Figures Oerter, H., Takahashi, S., and Vaughan, D. G.: Ground-based measurements of spatial and temporal variability of snow accumulation in East Antarctica, Rev.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The snowdrift effect on snow deposition: insights from a comparison of a snow pit profile and meteorological observations

Ding

Xiao

Zhang

et al. 2013

Preprint

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A high-frequency and precise ultrasonic sounder was used to record precipitated/deposited snow and drift events over a 3 yr period (17 January 2005 to 4 January 2008) at the Eagle automatic weather station (AWS) site. Through a comparison of the meteorological data with snow pit chemical/isotopic dating results, the snowdrift process effect during snow accumulation was assessed. We believe that ice/firn cores are the most important proxies of climate and the environment because of their high resolution and their preservation of historical greenhouse gas levels, although their limitations and measurement uncertainties must be taken into account, due to the event-driven snow dominates the snow deposition. This study found a difference between two dating results of up to 12 months for a ~ 95 cm snow pit, where the annual snow accumulation rate is 30.3 cm. A weakness is also indicated when simulating the surface mass balance in Antarctica

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“…DT401 is located in the interior high plateau region of eastern Antarctica and the distance to the nearest coastline is more than 1000 km (Figure 1). A previous study indicated that the moisture source region and the atmospheric transport mechanism in the inland region was different from the coastal area (Xiao et al, 2012). The deposition of MSA in the South Pole ice core originated partially from the Amundsen-Ross Sea sector (Meyerson et al, 2002), and the atmospheric circulation in this region also facilitated their transport (Cullather et al, 1996).…”

Section: Eof1 and Sea Ice Extentmentioning

confidence: 98%

A 2680-year record of sea ice extent in the Ross Sea and the associated atmospheric circulation derived from the DT401 East Antarctic ice core

Ren

Xiao

et al. 2015

Sci. China Earth Sci.

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Long time series of Antarctic sea ice extent (SIE) are important for climate research and model forecasting. A historic ice extent in the Ross Sea in early austral winter was rebuilt through sea salt ions in the DT401 ice core in interior East Antarctica. El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) had a significant influence on the sea salt deposition in DT401 through its influence on the Ross Sea SIE and the transport of sea salt inland. Spectral analysis also supported the influence of ENSO with a significant 2-6 a periodicity band. In addition, statistically significant decadal (10 a) and pentadecadal (50-70 a) periodicities suggested the existence of a teleconnection from the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), which originated from sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The first eigenvector of the empirical orthogonal function analysis (EOF1) showed lower values during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), while higher values were found in the Little Ice Age (LIA). A higher frequency of ENSO events were found in the cold climatic stage. The post 1800 AD period was occupied by significant fluctuations of the EOF1, and PDO may be one of the influencing factors. The EOF1 values showed moderate fluctuations from 680 BC to 1000 AD, showing that the climate was relatively stable in this period. sea salt ions, sea ice extent, ENSO, DT401, Eastern Antarctica Citation: Li C J, Ren J W, Xiao C D, Hou S G, Ding M H, Qin D H. 2015. A 2680-year record of sea ice extent in the Ross Sea and the associated atmospheric circulation derived from the DT401 East

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Stable isotopes in surface snow along a traverse route from Zhongshan station to Dome A, East Antarctica

Cited by 25 publications

References 41 publications

Investigation of post-depositional processing of nitrate in East Antarctic snow: isotopic constraints on photolytic loss, re-oxidation, and source inputs

Investigation of post-depositional processing of nitrate in East Antarctic snow: isotopic constraints on photolytic loss, re-oxidation, and source inputs

The snowdrift effect on snow deposition: insights from a comparison of a snow pit profile and meteorological observations

A 2680-year record of sea ice extent in the Ross Sea and the associated atmospheric circulation derived from the DT401 East Antarctic ice core

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