Arctic Snow Isotope Hydrology: A Comparative Snow-Water Vapor Study
Open Access
- 25 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Atmosphere
- Vol. 12 (2), 150
- https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020150
Abstract
The Arctic’s winter water cycle is rapidly changing, with implications for snow moisture sources and transport processes. Stable isotope values (δ18O, δ2H, d-excess) of the Arctic snowpack have potential to provide proxy records of these processes, yet it is unclear how well the isotope values of individual snowfall events are preserved within snow profiles. Here, we present water isotope data from multiple taiga and tundra snow profiles sampled in Arctic Alaska and Finland, respectively, during winter 2018–2019. We compare the snowpack isotope stratigraphy with meteoric water isotopes (vapor and precipitation) during snowfall days, and combine our measurements with satellite observations and reanalysis data. Our analyses indicate that synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation and regional sea ice coverage are key drivers of the source, amount, and isotopic composition of Arctic snowpacks. We find that the western Arctic tundra snowpack profiles in Alaska preserved the isotope values for the most recent storm; however, post depositional processes modified the remaining isotope profiles. The overall seasonal evolution in the vapor isotope values were better preserved in taiga snow isotope profiles in the eastern Arctic, where there is significantly less wind-driven redistribution than in the open Alaskan tundra. We demonstrate the potential of the seasonal snowpack to provide a useful proxy for Arctic winter-time moisture sources and propose future analyses.Funding Information
- Academy of Finland (316349)
This publication has 95 references indexed in Scilit:
- Ice‐vapor equilibrium fractionation factor of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes: Experimental investigations and implications for stable water isotope studiesRapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2013
- Measuring variations of δ18O and δ2H in atmospheric water vapour using two commercial laser-based spectrometers: an instrument characterisation studyAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2012
- The influence of snow sublimation on the isotopic composition of spring and surface waters in the southwestern United States: Implications for stable isotope-based paleoaltimetry and hydrologic studiesGSA Bulletin, 2011
- Isotopic evolution of snowmelt 2. Verification and parameterization of a one‐dimensional model using laboratory experimentsWater Resources Research, 2002
- Isotope variations in a Sierra Nevada snowpack and their relation to meltwaterJournal of Hydrology, 2002
- Influence of sublimation on stable isotope records recovered from high‐altitude glaciers in the tropical AndesJournal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2001
- Oxygen 18/16 variability in Greenland snow and ice with 10−3‐ to 105‐year time resolutionJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 1997
- Glacial-Interglacial Changes in Moisture Sources for Greenland: Influences on the Ice Core Record of ClimateScience, 1994
- Hydrologic and thermal properties of the active layer in the Alaskan ArcticCold Regions Science and Technology, 1991
- Effect of wind scouring on climatic records from ice-core oxygen-isotope profilesNature, 1983