A climatological analysis of high-precipitation events in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, and associated large-scale atmospheric conditions

Christoph Welker*, Olivia Martius, Paul Froidevaux, Carleen H. Reijmer, Hubertus Fischer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The link between high precipitation in Dronning Maud Land (DML), Antarctica, and the large-scale atmospheric circulation is investigated using ERA-Interim data for 1979-2009. High-precipitation events are analyzed at Halvfarryggen situated in the coastal region of DML and at Kohnen Station located in its interior. This study further includes a comprehensive comparison of high precipitation in ERA-Interim with precipitation data from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) and snow accumulation measurements from automatic weather stations (AWSs), with the limitations of such a comparison being discussed. The ERA-Interim and AMPS precipitation data agree very well. However, the correspondence between high precipitation in ERA-Interim and high snow accumulation at the AWSs is relatively weak. High-precipitation events at both Halvfarryggen and Kohnen are typically associated with amplified upper level waves. This large-scale atmospheric flow pattern is preceded by the downstream development of a Rossby wave train from the eastern South Pacific several days before the precipitation event. At the surface, a cyclone located over the Weddell Sea is the main synoptic ingredient for high precipitation both at Halvfarryggen and at Kohnen. A blocking anticyclone downstream is not a requirement for high precipitation per se, but a larger share of blocking occurrences during the highest-precipitation days in DML suggests that these blocks strengthen the vertically integrated water vapor transport (IVT) into DML. A strong link between high precipitation and the IVT perpendicular to the local orography suggests that IVT could be used as a "proxy" for high precipitation, in particular over DML's interior.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11932-11952
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume119
Issue number21
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014

Keywords

  • AMPS
  • ERA-Interim
  • High precipitation in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica
  • Large-scale atmospheric conditions
  • Objective cyclone and blocking detection
  • Snow accumulation measurements from AWS

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