Investigating the past and recent δ 18 O-accumulation relationship seen in Greenland ice cores

Decadal means of δ 18 O and accumulation rates from 52 ice core locations in Greenland are presented. The accumulation rates are derived from annual layers determined in the δ 18 O curve. Investigation of the δ 18 O-accumulation relationship across the ice divide reveals a significant Foehn effect with anticorrelation of δ 18 O and accumulation rate on the lee side of the divide in Southern Greenland, while no effect is seen in Central Greenland. Furthermore, the sensitivity of accumulation rate to changes in temperature is found to be smaller in Northern Greenland than in the central and southern parts. Four records in the data set contain sufficient recent data that the period of observed temperature rise from the 1990s and onwards can be investigated. All four records are from locations close to the ice divide in Northern Greenland and while three of them show increased temperatures, no conclusive statement can be made about the accumulation rate from these data.

[1]  P. Mayewski,et al.  Glaciochemistry of polar ice cores: A review , 1997 .

[2]  W. Lipscomb,et al.  Future climate warming increases Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance variability , 2014 .

[3]  Kendrick C. Taylor,et al.  Visual‐stratigraphic dating of the GISP2 ice core: Basis, reproducibility, and application , 1997 .

[4]  Dorthe Dahl-Jensen,et al.  Past accumulation rates derived from observed annual layers in the grip ice core from summit , 1993 .

[5]  S. Solomon.  The Physical Science Basis : Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , 2007 .

[6]  A. Cazenave,et al.  A new assessment of the error budget of global mean sea level rate estimated by satellite altimetry over 1993–2008 , 2009 .

[7]  W. Dansgaard.  Stable isotopes in precipitation , 1964 .

[8]  J. White,et al.  The origin of Arctic precipitation under present and glacial conditions , 1989 .

[9]  W. Dansgaard,et al.  Greenland palaeotemperatures derived from GRIP bore hole temperature and ice core isotope profiles , 1995 .

[10]  C. Hammer,et al.  Acidity of Polar Ice Cores in Relation to Absolute Dating, Past Volcanism, and Radio–Echoes , 1980, Journal of Glaciology.

[11]  W. Dansgaard.  The Abundance of O18 in Atmospheric Water and Water Vapour , 1953 .

[12]  D. Bromwich,et al.  Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Air Temperature Variability: 1840–2007* , 2009 .

[13]  G. Hoffmann,et al.  Diffusion of stable isotopes in polar firn and ice : the isotope effect in firn diffusion , 2000 .

[14]  J. Jouzel,et al.  Evidence for general instability of past climate from a 250-kyr ice-core record , 1993, Nature.

[15]  D. Bromwich,et al.  Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance Variability ( 1988 – 2004 ) from Calibrated Polar MM 5 Output , 2006 .

[16]  J. Box.  Survey of Greenland instrumental temperature records: 1873–2001 , 2002 .

[17]  Konrad Steffen,et al.  Greenland Ice Sheet melt extent: 1979–1999 , 2001 .

[18]  Assessment Programme,et al.  Arctic Climate Issues 2011: Changes in Arctic Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost. SWIPA 2011 Overview Report. , 2012 .

[19]  W. Dansgaard,et al.  A Flow Model and a Time Scale for the Ice Core from Camp Century, Greenland , 1969 .

[20]  Niels Reeh,et al.  Dating of Greenland Ice Cores by Flow Models, Isotopes, Volcanic Debris, and Continental Dust , 1978, Journal of Glaciology.

[21]  Michael M. Herron,et al.  Firn Densification: An Empirical Model , 1980, Journal of Glaciology.

[22]  Sheng-Hung Wang,et al.  Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance Variability (1988–2004) from Calibrated Polar MM5 Output* , 2006 .