Snow optical properties at Dome C, Antarctica - Implications for snow emissions and snow chemistry of reactive nitrogen

Measurements of e-folding depth, nadir reflectivity and stratigraphy of the snowpack around Concordia station (Dome C, 75.10° S, 123.31° E) were undertaken and used to determine wavelength dependent coefficients (350 nm to 550 nm) for light scattering and absorption and to calculate potential fluxes of nitrogen dioxide (NO) from the snowpack due to nitrate photolysis within the snowpack. The stratigraphy of the top 80 cm of Dome C snowpack generally consists of three main layers: a surface of soft windpack (not ubiquitous), a hard windpack and a hoar-like layer beneath the windpack(s). The e-folding depths are ∼10 cm for the two windpack layers and ∼20 cm for the hoar-like layer for solar radiation at a wavelength of 400 nm, about a factor 2-4 larger than previous model estimates for South Pole. Depth integrated photochemical reaction rates of nitrate photolysis in the Dome C snowpack were calculated to give molecular fluxes of NO of 5.3×10 molecules m s, 2.3×10 molecules m s and 8×10 molecules m s for solar zenith angles of 60°, 70° and 80° respectively for clear sky conditions using the TUV-snow radiative-transfer model. Depending upon the snowpack stratigraphy, a minimum of 85% of the NO originates from within the top 20 cm of the Dome C snowpack. It is found that on a multi-annual scale, nitrate photolysis can remove up to 80% of nitrate from surface snow, confirming independent isotopic evidence that photolysis is an important driver of nitrate loss occurring in the EAIS snowpack. However, the model cannot account for the total observed nitrate loss of 90-95% or the shape of the observed nitrate depth profile. A more complete model will need to include also physical processes such as evaporation, re-deposition or diffusion between the quasi-liquid layer on snow grains and firn air to account for the discrepancies. © 2011 Author(s)