Stable water isotopes of precipitation and firn cores from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region as a proxy for climate reconstruction

摘要

In order to investigate the climate variability in the northern Antarctic Peninsula region, this paper focuses on the relationship between stableisotope content of precipitation and firn, and main meteorological variables(air temperature, relative humidity, sea surface temperature, and sea iceextent). Between 2008 and 2010, we collected precipitation samples andretrieved firn cores from several key sites in this region. We conclude thatthe deuterium excess oscillation represents a robust indicator of themeteorological variability on a seasonal to sub-seasonal scale. Low absolutedeuterium excess values and the synchronous variation of both deuteriumexcess and air temperature imply that the evaporation of moisture occurs inthe adjacent Southern Ocean. The δ18O-air temperature relationship iscomplicated and significant only at a (multi)seasonal scale. Backwardtrajectory calculations show that air-parcels arriving at the region duringprecipitation events predominantly originate at the South Pacific Ocean andBellingshausen Sea. These investigations will be used as a calibration forongoing and future research in the area, suggesting that appropriatelocations for future ice core research are located above 600 m a.s.l. Weselected the Plateau Laclavere, Antarctic Peninsula as the most promisingsite for a deeper drilling campaign.