Description: In the European Alps, ice core studies have been mainly performed in view of the recent man-made influence on the atmospheric load of aerosol-related species, while respective investigations on the pre-industrial aerosol or on stable water isotope-based climate records remained sparse. We address from a glaciological perspective the specific conditions of Alpine drilling sites and, in particular, the role of depositional noise. Thereby, we refer to two major drilling areas (located in the summit range of Monte Rosa and Mt Blanc massif, respectively) which largely differ in their snow accumulation rate and, hence, in their accessible time scale. A simple scheme considering the seasonality of both, the precipitation-borne signal and the snow erosion-controlled net accumulation rate is presented. It shows that water isotope trends are generally more sensitive to distortion by a seasonality effect than recent snow impurities trends, although the influence of a given seasonal accumulation rate cycle on the mean levels of water isotopes and impurities is similar. These findings are illustrated on the decadal and centennial time scale by the inter- and intra-site variability of major ion and water isotope records. The intra-site comparison includes the discussion of strong water isotope depletions seen some meters above bedrock at low accumulation drilling sites.

Description: We measured aerosol size distributions and conducted bulk as well as size segregated aerosol sampling during two summer campaigns in January 2015 and January 2016 at the continental Antarctic station Kohnen (Dronning Maud Land). Physical and chemical aerosol properties differ conspicuously during the episodic impact of an outstanding low pressure system in 2015 (LPS15) compared to the prevailing clear sky conditions (CSC): The about three days persisting LPS15, located in the eastern Weddell Sea, was associated with marine boundary layer (MBL) air mass intrusion, enhanced condensation particle concentrations (1400±700 cm-3 compared to 250±120 cm-3 during CSC; mean ± SD), occurrence of a new particle formation (NPF) event exhibiting a continuous growth of particle diameters (Dp) from 12 nm to 43 nm over 44 hours (growth rate 0.6 nm h-1), peaking methane sulfonate (MS-), non-sea salt sulfate (nss-SO42-) and Na+ concentrations (190 ng m-3 MS-, 137 ng m-3 nss-SO42-, and 53 ng m-3 Na+ compared to 24±15 ng m-3, 107±20 ng m-3 and 4.1±2.2 ng m-3, respectively, during CSC), and finally an increased MS-/nss-SO42- mass ratio ßMS of 0.4 up to 2.3 (0.21±0.1 during CSC) comparable to typical values found at coastal Antarctic sites. Throughout the observation period a larger part of MS- could be found in super micron aerosol compared to nss-SO42-, i.e. (10±2) % by mass compared to (3.2±2) %, respectively. On the whole, during CSC aged aerosol characterized by an usually mono-modal size distribution around Dp = 60 nm was observed. Although our observations indicate that sporadic impacts of coastal cyclones were associated with enhanced marine aerosol entry, at large aerosol deposition on-site during austral summer should be dominated by the typical steady CSC.

Description: A new 21.3m firn core was drilled in 2015 at a coastal Antarctic high accumulation site in Adélie Land (66.78°S; 139.56°E, 602ma.s.l.). The core was dated by annual layers counting based on non-sea-salt sulfate and methanesulfonate summer peaks, refined by a comparison between the reconstructed surface mass balance (hereafter, SMB) and the closest available stake data. The mean reconstructed SMB of 75.2 ± 15.0cmw.e. y−1 is consistent with local stake data, and remarkably high for coastal East Antarctica. The resulting inter-annual and sub-annual variations in isotopic records (δ18O and deuterium excess, hereafter d-excess) are explored for 1998–2014 and are systematically compared with a couple of climatic time series: an updated database of Antarctic surface snow isotopic composition, SMB stake data, meteorological observations from Dumont d'Urville station, sea-ice concentration based on passive microwave satellite data, precipitation outputs of atmospheric reanalyses, climate and water stable isotope outputs from the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM5-wiso, as well as air mass origins diagnosed using 5-days back-trajectories. The mean isotopic values (−19.3 ± 3.1‰ for δ18O and 5.4 ± 2.2‰ for d-excess) are consistent with other coastal Antarctic values. No significant isotope-temperature relationship can be evidenced at any timescale, ruling out a simple interpretation of in terms of local temperature. An observed asymmetry in the δ18O seasonal cycle may be explained by the precipitation of air masses coming from Indian and Pacific/West Antarctic Ice Sheet sectors in autumn and winter times, recorded in the d-excess signal showing outstanding values in austral spring versus autumn. Significant positive trends are observed in the annual d-excess record and local sea-ice extent (135°E–145°E) over the period 1998–2014. However, processes studies focusing on resulting isotopic compositions and particularly the d-excess-δ18O relationship, evidenced as a potential fingerprint of moisture origins, as well as the collection of more isotopic measurements in Adélie Land are needed for an accurate interpretation of our signals.

Description: From November 2004 to December 2007, size-segregated aerosol samples were collected all-year-round at Dome C (East Antarctica) by using PM10 and PM2.5 samplers, and multi-stage impactors. The data set obtained from the chemical analysis provided the longest and the most time-resolved record of sea spray aerosol (sea salt Na+) in inner Antarctica. Sea spray showed a sharp seasonal pattern. The highest values measured in winter (Apr-Nov) were about ten times larger than in summer (Dec-Mar). For the first time, a size-distribution seasonal pattern was also shown: in winter, sea spray particles are mainly submicrometric, while their summer size-mode is around 1-2 µm. Meteorological analysis on a synoptic scale allowed the definition of atmospheric conditions leading sea spray to Dome C. An extreme-value approach along with specific environmental based criteria was taken to yield stronger fingerprints linking atmospheric circulation (means and anomalies) to extreme sea spray events. Air mass back-trajectory analyses for some high sea spray events allowed the identification of two major air mass pathways, reflecting different size distributions: micrometric fractions for transport from the closer Indian-Pacific sector, and sub-micrometric particles for longer trajectories over the Antarctic Plateau. The seasonal pattern of the SO4**2- /Na+ ratio enabled the identification of few events depleted in sulphate, with respect to the seawater composition. By using methanesulphonic acid (MSA) profile to evaluate the biogenic SO4**2- contribution, a more reliable sea salt sulphate was calculated. In this way, few events (mainly in April and in September) were identified originating probably from the "frost flower" source. A comparison with daily-collected superficial snow samples revealed that there is a temporal shift between aerosol and snow sea spray trends. This feature could imply a more complex deposition processes of sea spray, involving significant contribution of wet and diamond dust deposition, but further work has to be carried out to rule out the effect of wind re-distribution and to have more statistic significance.