scholarly journals Trace Elements in Simultaneously Sampled Aerosol and Snow from the Antarctic Peninsula (Abstract)

1988 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 201-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan L. Dick

Ultra-clean techniques have been used to collect a series of fresh surface-snow samples on Gipps Ice Rise, Larsen Ice Shelf (68°48′S, 60°54′W) between 21 December 1984 and 12 February 1985. Aerosol samples were collected simultaneously on to pre-cleaned membrane filters to allow the direct comparison of trace-element levels in air and snow. Samples have been analysed by various techniques for cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, aluminium, calcium, potassium and sodium. For all elements, cross-sample concentration profiles have been obtained to support the data for snow samples.The heavy-metal concentrations found in the surface snow were similar to those measured previously near Gomez Nunatak in the Antarctic Peninsula. The mean aerosol concentrations found at Gipps Ice Rise were Cd: 0.06 pg m−3, Cu: 1.0 pg m−3, Pb; 4.7 pg m−3, Zn: 6.1 pg m−3. These are the lowest concentrations measured so far in Antarctic aerosol.The ratio of the snow concentration (pg g−1) to air concentration (ng m−3), known as the washout factor, has been calculated for each element and sampling period. The data show that, for the Antarctic Peninsula, the marine aerosol is more efficiently removed to the snow-pack than is the crustal aerosol. Heavy metals are least efficiently removed. This result suggests that the measurement of concentrations in snow and ice alone may lead to misinterpretation of atmospheric source strengths.

1988 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan L. Dick

Ultra-clean techniques have been used to collect a series of fresh surface-snow samples on Gipps Ice Rise, Larsen Ice Shelf (68°48′S, 60°54′W) between 21 December 1984 and 12 February 1985. Aerosol samples were collected simultaneously on to pre-cleaned membrane filters to allow the direct comparison of trace-element levels in air and snow. Samples have been analysed by various techniques for cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, aluminium, calcium, potassium and sodium. For all elements, cross-sample concentration profiles have been obtained to support the data for snow samples. The heavy-metal concentrations found in the surface snow were similar to those measured previously near Gomez Nunatak in the Antarctic Peninsula. The mean aerosol concentrations found at Gipps Ice Rise were Cd: 0.06 pg m−3, Cu: 1.0 pg m−3, Pb; 4.7 pg m−3, Zn: 6.1 pg m−3. These are the lowest concentrations measured so far in Antarctic aerosol. The ratio of the snow concentration (pg g−1) to air concentration (ng m−3), known as the washout factor, has been calculated for each element and sampling period. The data show that, for the Antarctic Peninsula, the marine aerosol is more efficiently removed to the snow-pack than is the crustal aerosol. Heavy metals are least efficiently removed. This result suggests that the measurement of concentrations in snow and ice alone may lead to misinterpretation of atmospheric source strengths.


1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.A. del Valle ◽  
J.M. Lirio ◽  
J.C. Lusky ◽  
J.R. Morelli ◽  
H.J. Nuñez

Jason Peninsula (66°10'S, 61°00'W) is a prominent feature extending some 80 km into the Larsen Ice Shelf from the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and consists of widely spaced rock exposures and several ice-domes with elevations up to some 600 m (Fig. 1). The feature was first seen from seaward on 1 December 1893 by Captain C.A. Larsen, who named one of the high summits “Mount Jason” after his ship. Leading the 1902–1904 Swedish Antarctic Expedition, Dr Otto Nordenskjöld observed the area from Borchgrevink Nunatak (66°03'S; 62°30'W) and reported that the summits seen by Larsen were separated from the Antarctic Peninsula. The name “Jason Island” was subsequently adopted for this feature, but in the 1950s researchers belonging to the currently named British Antarctic Survey (BAS) determined Larsen's discovery to be a large peninsula, underlain mainly by calc-alkaline volcanic rocks.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 17295-17345
Author(s):  
D. P. Grosvenor ◽  
T. W. Choularton ◽  
T. Lachlan-Cope ◽  
M. W. Gallagher ◽  
J. Crosier ◽  
...  

Abstract. In-situ aircraft observations of ice crystal concentrations in Antarctic clouds are presented for the first time. Orographic, layer and wave clouds around the Antarctic Peninsula and Larsen Ice shelf regions were penetrated by the British Antarctic Survey's Twin Otter Aircraft, which was equipped with modern cloud physics probes. The clouds studied were mostly in the free troposphere and hence ice crystals blown from the surface are unlikely to have been a major source for the ice phase. The temperature range covered by the experiments was 0 to −21°C. The clouds were found to contain supercooled liquid water in most regions and at heterogeneous ice formation temperatures ice crystal concentrations (60 s averages) were often less than 0.07 l−1, although values up to 0.22 l−1 were observed. Estimates of observed aerosol concentrations were used as input into the DeMott et al., 2010 ice nuclei (IN) parameterisation. The observed ice crystal number concentrations were generally in broad agreement with the IN predictions, although on the whole the predicted values were higher. Possible reasons for this are discussed and include the lack of IN observations in this region with which to characterise the parameterisation, and/or problems in relating ice concentration measurements to IN concentrations. Other IN parameterisations significantly overestimated the number of ice particles. Generally ice particle concentrations were much lower than found in clouds in middle latitudes for a given temperature. Higher ice crystal concentrations were sometimes observed at temperatures warmer than −9 °C, with values of several per litre reached. These were attributable to secondary ice particle production by the Hallett Mossop process. Even in this temperature range it was observed that there were regions with little or no ice that were dominated by supercooled liquid water. It is likely that in some cases this was due to a lack of seeding ice crystals to act as rimers to initiate secondary ice particle production. This highlights the complicated nature of this process and indicates that the accurate representation of it in global models is likely to represent a challenge. However, the contrast between Hallett Mossop zone ice concentrations and the fairly low concentrations of heterogeneously nucleated ice suggests that the Hallet Mossop process has the potential to be very important in remote, pristine regions such as around the Antarctic coast.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 11275-11294 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Grosvenor ◽  
T. W. Choularton ◽  
T. Lachlan-Cope ◽  
M. W. Gallagher ◽  
J. Crosier ◽  
...  

Abstract. In-situ aircraft observations of ice crystal concentrations in Antarctic clouds are presented for the first time. Orographic, layer and wave clouds around the Antarctic Peninsula and Larsen Ice shelf regions were penetrated by the British Antarctic Survey's Twin Otter aircraft, which was equipped with modern cloud physics probes. The clouds studied were mostly in the free troposphere and hence ice crystals blown from the surface are unlikely to have been a major source for the ice phase. The temperature range covered by the experiments was 0 to −21 °C. The clouds were found to contain supercooled liquid water in most regions and at heterogeneous ice formation temperatures ice crystal concentrations (60 s averages) were often less than 0.07 l−1, although values up to 0.22 l−1 were observed. Estimates of observed aerosol concentrations were used as input into the DeMott et al. (2010) ice nuclei (IN) parameterisation. The observed ice crystal number concentrations were generally in broad agreement with the IN predictions, although on the whole the predicted values were higher. Possible reasons for this are discussed and include the lack of IN observations in this region with which to characterise the parameterisation, and/or problems in relating ice concentration measurements to IN concentrations. Other IN parameterisations significantly overestimated the number of ice particles. Generally ice particle concentrations were much lower than found in clouds in middle latitudes for a given temperature. Higher ice crystal concentrations were sometimes observed at temperatures warmer than −9 °C, with values of several per litre reached. These were attributable to secondary ice particle production by the Hallett Mossop process. Even in this temperature range it was observed that there were regions with little or no ice that were dominated by supercooled liquid water. It is likely that in some cases this was due to a lack of seeding ice crystals to act as rimers to initiate secondary ice particle production. This highlights the chaotic and spatially inhomogeneous nature of this process and indicates that the accurate representation of it in global models is likely to represent a challenge. However, the contrast between Hallett Mossop zone ice concentrations and the fairly low concentrations of heterogeneously nucleated ice suggests that the Hallet Mossop process has the potential to be very important in remote, pristine regions such as around the Antarctic coast.


1993 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 317-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Skvarca

The rapid retreat and disintegration of the Larsen Ice Shelf sector extending north of Seal Nunataks (65° S), documented from the mid 1970s onwards by remote sensing, is presented and related to the Antarctic Peninsula climatic warming recorded over several past decades. A 1975 KOSMOS satellite photograph and a series of LANDSAT MSS and TM images taken in 1978, 1979, 1986, 1988 and 1989 were used to monitor the retreat of the ice shelf between Seal Nunataks and Prince Gustav Channel. The ice shelf has decreased by more than 30% during the period 1975–89 within the Christensen Island to Cape Longing region. Measurements of the ice front position carried out in the field during late 1991 indicate that the recession between Lindenberg Island and Sobral Peninsula is still continuing, in some places at a rate of up to 2.5 km a−1.


2002 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Fahnestock ◽  
Waleed Abdalati ◽  
Christopher A. Shuman

AbstractWe have examined the record of melt-season duration on the Antarctic Peninsula using two techniques for detecting the presence of a melt signal in microwave-emission time series covering the period 1978–2000. We have obtained similar estimates of melt-season length using the cross-polarized gradient ratio (XPGR) technique and calibrations previously applied in Greenland and a technique which detects the jump in emission caused by melt without using a sensor- and frequency-dependent threshold value. The close correspondence between results from the two techniques on peninsula ice shelves suggests that the XPGR analysis can be used over the length of the time series. The results show that the long melt seasons of 1992/93 and several later years were exceptional occurrences on the northern parts of the Larsen Ice Shelf. These melt seasons were followed by disintegration events, supporting a possible cause-and-effect relationship.


1993 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 317-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Skvarca

The rapid retreat and disintegration of the Larsen Ice Shelf sector extending north of Seal Nunataks (65° S), documented from the mid 1970s onwards by remote sensing, is presented and related to the Antarctic Peninsula climatic warming recorded over several past decades. A 1975 KOSMOS satellite photograph and a series of LANDSAT MSS and TM images taken in 1978, 1979, 1986, 1988 and 1989 were used to monitor the retreat of the ice shelf between Seal Nunataks and Prince Gustav Channel. The ice shelf has decreased by more than 30% during the period 1975–89 within the Christensen Island to Cape Longing region. Measurements of the ice front position carried out in the field during late 1991 indicate that the recession between Lindenberg Island and Sobral Peninsula is still continuing, in some places at a rate of up to 2.5 km a−1.


1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 628-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Skvarca ◽  
Wolfgang Rack ◽  
Helmut Rott ◽  
Teresa Ibarzábal Y Donángelo

Air temperatures at the Marambio (MAR), Esperanza (ESP) and Matienzo (MAT) stations have been analyzed to investigate recent climate change on the eastern part of the Antarctic Peninsula. They are compared with data from the Oreadas station on the South Orkney Islands, the longest record available in Antarctica, and from the Faraday (FAR) station on the western coast of the Peninsula. Though the interannual variability is comparatively high and the stations are located in different climatic regimes, a pronounced warming trend shows up in all records. At MAR a temperature increase of 1.5°C has been observed since the beginning of the record in 1971. This is of similar magnitude to the increase at FAR on the west coast, which was 2.5°C for the longer period since 1945. The steady retreat and collapse of the northern Larsen Ice Shelf (LIS) coincided with this warming trend. of particular importance for the ice-shelf mass balance in this region are the summer temperatures which show a statistically significant warming trend at MAR and ESP. The representativity of the summer temperatures of MAR for northern LIS is confirmed by intercomparison with the parallel measurements at MAT which is located on the ice shelf.


2010 ◽  
Vol 51 (55) ◽  
pp. 97-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wendt ◽  
A. Rivera ◽  
A. Wendt ◽  
F. Bown ◽  
R. Zamora ◽  
...  

AbstractRegional climate warming has caused several ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula to retreat and ultimately collapse during recent decades. Glaciers flowing into these retreating ice shelves have responded with accelerating ice flow and thinning. The Wordie Ice Shelf on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula was reported to have undergone a major areal reduction before 1989. Since then, this ice shelf has continued to retreat and now very little floating ice remains. Little information is currently available regarding the dynamic response of the glaciers feeding the Wordie Ice Shelf, but we describe a Chilean International Polar Year project, initiated in 2007, targeted at studying the glacier dynamics in this area and their relationship to local meteorological conditions. Various data were collected during field campaigns to Fleming Glacier in the austral summers of 2007/08 and 2008/09. In situ measurements of ice-flow velocity first made in 1974 were repeated and these confirm satellite-based assessments that velocity on the glacier has increased by 40–50% since 1974. Airborne lidar data collected in December 2008 can be compared with similar data collected in 2004 in collaboration with NASA and the Chilean Navy. This comparison indicates continued thinning of the glacier, with increasing rates of thinning downstream, with a mean of 4.1 ± 0.2 m a−1 at the grounding line of the glacier. These comparisons give little indication that the glacier is achieving a new equilibrium.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 797-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. O. Holt ◽  
N. F. Glasser ◽  
D. J. Quincey ◽  
M. R. Siegfried

Abstract. George VI Ice Shelf (GVIIS) is located on the Antarctic Peninsula, a region where several ice shelves have undergone rapid breakup in response to atmospheric and oceanic warming. We use a combination of optical (Landsat), radar (ERS 1/2 SAR) and laser altimetry (GLAS) datasets to examine the response of GVIIS to environmental change and to offer an assessment on its future stability. The spatial and structural changes of GVIIS (ca. 1973 to ca. 2010) are mapped and surface velocities are calculated at different time periods (InSAR and optical feature tracking from 1989 to 2009) to document changes in the ice shelf's flow regime. Surface elevation changes are recorded between 2003 and 2008 using repeat track ICESat acquisitions. We note an increase in fracture extent and distribution at the south ice front, ice-shelf acceleration towards both the north and south ice fronts and spatially varied negative surface elevation change throughout, with greater variations observed towards the central and southern regions of the ice shelf. We propose that whilst GVIIS is in no imminent danger of collapse, it is vulnerable to ongoing atmospheric and oceanic warming and is more susceptible to breakup along its southern margin in ice preconditioned for further retreat.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document