Skip to main content
Publications | Persons | Institutes | Projects
[ report an error in this record ]basket (0): add | show Print this page

Antarctic atmospheric river climatology and precipitation impacts
Wille, J.D.; Favier, V.; Gorodetskaya, I.V.; Agosta, C.; Kittel, C.; Beeman, J.C.; Jourdain, N.C.; Lenaerts, J.T.M.; Codron, F. (2021). Antarctic atmospheric river climatology and precipitation impacts. JGR: Atmospheres 126(8): e2020JD033788. https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033788
In: Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION: Washington. ISSN 2169-897X; e-ISSN 2169-8996, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Author keywords
    Antarctica; atmospheric rivers; climatology; meteorology

Authors  Top 
  • Wille, J.D.
  • Favier, V.
  • Gorodetskaya, I.V., more
  • Agosta, C., more
  • Kittel, C., more
  • Beeman, J.C.
  • Jourdain, N.C.
  • Lenaerts, J.T.M.
  • Codron, F.

Abstract
    The Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) is sensitive to short-term extreme meteorological events that can leave long-term impacts on the continent's surface mass balance (SMB). We investigate the impacts of atmospheric rivers (ARs) on the AIS precipitation budget using an AR detection algorithm and a regional climate model (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional) from 1980 to 2018. While ARs and their associated extreme vapor transport are relatively rare events over Antarctic coastal regions (∼3 days per year), they have a significant impact on the precipitation climatology. ARs are responsible for at least 10% of total accumulated snowfall across East Antarctica (localized areas reaching 20%) and a majority of extreme precipitation events. Trends in AR annual frequency since 1980 are observed across parts of AIS, most notably an increasing trend in Dronning Maud Land; however, interannual variability in AR frequency is much larger. This AR behavior appears to drive a significant portion of annual snowfall trends across East Antarctica, while controlling the interannual variability of precipitation across most of the AIS. AR landfalls are most likely when the circumpolar jet is highly amplified during blocking conditions in the Southern Ocean. There is a fingerprint of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) on AR variability in West Antarctica with SAM+ (SAM−) favoring increased AR frequency in the Antarctic Peninsula (Amundsen-Ross Sea coastline). Given the relatively large influence ARs have on precipitation across the continent, it is advantageous for future studies of moisture transport to Antarctica to consider an AR framework especially when considering future SMB changes.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors