“diamond dust”: a very thin ice-cloud in the near-surface ...€¦ · “diamond dust”: a...
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“Diamond dust”:
A very thin ice-cloud
in the near-surface
inversion layer.
“Diamond dust”:
A very thin ice-cloud
in the near-surface
inversion layer.
It’s a mixing-cloud.
(Saturation vapor
pressure as a function
of temperature is
concave-upward.)
Snow crystals falling in winter at South Pole (temperature –60 C).
Small grid is 50 microns. Photo by Steve Warren.
Shimizu crystals (~ 10 µm × 1 mm)
Nacreous clouds (Polar Stratospheric Clouds, PSC)
above McMurdo Station (78°S), September 2009
Snow accumulation
(centimeters liquid equivalent
per year):
East Antarctic Ridge 2-3
Peninsula >40
Average for Antarctica ~17
Global average 100 cm
(40 inches)
Snow accumulation
(centimeters liquid equivalent
per year):
East Antarctic Ridge 2-3
Peninsula >40
Average for Antarctica ~17
Global average 100 cm
(40 inches)
At South Pole (7 cm/yr), a
large fraction of the snowfall
comes from a few warm
storms.
On the East Antarctic Ridge
(2 cm/yr), most may come
from diamond-dust.
Snow accumulation
(centimeters liquid equivalent
per year):
East Antarctic Ridge 2-3
Peninsula >40
Average for Antarctica ~17
Global average 100 cm
(40 inches)
At South Pole (7 cm/yr), a
large fraction of the snowfall
comes from a few warm
storms.
On the East Antarctic Ridge
(2 cm/yr), most may come
from diamond-dust.
During the last ice age: Lower
temperature, less snowfall.
With future global warming:
Probably more snowfall.
Wind direction at the surface
Wind
Wind direction at the surface
Average wind speed
South Pole
summer 8 knots
winter 13 knots
Cape Denison
annual 40 knots
Threshold for drifting snow
~ 14 knots
Blowing snow (as well as a few falling-snow crystals)
Climate changes
(1) Mean annual temperature
South Pole Antarctic Peninsula (west side)
Turner 2004
Climate changes
(2) Wind speed
Late winter (July-Sept)
South Pole
Annual
Lazzara et al. 2012
Climate changes
(3) Snow accumulation
South Pole
Antarctica
Depth of ice: average 2.2 km, maximum 4.8 km
About 86% of the ice is in East Antarctica
Mean annual temperature
from -60°C on East Antarctic Plateau
(Vostok, Dome C, Plateau Station)
to -3°C on Antarctic Peninsula
Temperature extremes at surface
World record low temperature: -89°C (at Vostok)
Record high temperature at South Pole: -12°C
Snow accumulation
average 14-19 g cm-2 yr-1
on Plateau 5 g cm-2 yr-1
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