Continuous on-line water vapor isotope measurements in Antarctica

International audienceIn the context of a globally warming climate it is crucial to study the climate variability in the past and to understand the underlying mechanisms (1). Precipitation deposited on the polar ice caps provides a means to retrieve information on temperature changes (through the paleo-temperature dependence of the isotopic composition of the ice) and atmospheric composition (of gas stored in bubbles in the ice) on time scales from one to almost one million years, with sub-annual resolution in the most recent centuries. However, it is now widely recognized that the calibration of the paleo-thermometer is highly problematic. For this reason attempts to model the global water cycle, including the isotope signals, are ongoing with the aim of providing a more physical basis of the isotope - temperature relation. Currently, there is a large divergence in the results obtained by different modeling strategies. The missing link in these model studies is their forcing by experimental data on the pre-deposition isotopic composition of the vapor phase compartment of the hydrological cycle. We propose to measure the isotopic composition of moisture carried towards and deposited on Antarctica, in order to constrain the numerical models. In this context we are developing a modified, more sensitive and precise, version of a laser water vapor isotope spectrometer, originally designed for stratospheric studies (2, 3). This instrument, which will first be operated at the Norwegian station of Troll in Queen Maud Land, will enable the continuous, online measurement of all three stable isotope ratios of atmospheric water vapor. So far, such data is non-existent. Our data should improve the validity of the models and improve the understanding of the physical mechanisms at the basis of the isotope thermometer. This in turn will lead to an increased confidence in the predictions of (general circulation) models concerning climate variability. (1) International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 4th Assessment Report, Chapters 1 and 6 (2007). (2) E.R.T. Kerstel, R.Q. Iannone, M. Chenevier, S. Kassi, H.-J. Jost, and D. Romanini, A water isotope (2H, 17O, and 18O) spectrometer based on optical-feedback cavity enhanced absorption for in-situ airborne applications, Appl. Phys. B 85(2-3), 397-406 (2006). (3) R.Q. Iannone, S. Kassi, H.-J. Jost, M. Chenevier, D. Romanini, H.A.J. Meijer, S. Dhaniyala, M. Snels, and E.R.Th. Kerstel, Development and airborne operation of a compact water isotope ratio spectrometer, Isotop. Environm. Health Studies 45 (JESIUM 2008 special issue), 1-18 iFirst (2009). doi=10.1080/1025601090317271