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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 2007-08: VUWAE 52
a. Context of research
a. Context of research
To date, aerosol deposited trace element records have been poorly utilised in ice core research. They can however provide important tracers or proxies of atmospheric (e.g. regional circulation, moisture transport and precipitation) and oceanic (sea-ice extent and variability) processes. In conjunction with more traditional ice core analyses (isotopic and major ion variations), new knowledge of their past variability will allow an improved understanding of the Ross Sea climate system. This has the potential to provide information that can be related to the larger Antarctic atmospheric circulation systems; the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) 1, Southern Annular Mode (SAM) 2 and to a lesser degree the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave 1, whose relative importance remain controversial.
For this purpose, two coastal sampling sites have been chosen with variable climatic and sea ice cover influences. Whitehall Glacier, Northern Victoria Land coast was sampled in 2006/07 and provides an area of frequent and intense cyclonic activity due to its proximity to the Southern Ocean and Antarctic low pressure belt 1,3. This will be used in comparison of the predominantly katabatic controlled climate of Evans Piedmont Glacier that has been sampled in the most recent 2007/08 season 4.
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1C-1 What does the detailed (annual –decadal) regional climate record from ice-cores along Victoria Land Coast over the last 10,000 years tell us about patterns of climate behaviour in the region and linkages with the Southern Hemisphere climate patterns?5
This project seeks to understand the relationship between atmospheric circulation and aerosol deposition in the recent instrumental record with the potential to extrapolate it back further into the ice core record.
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2C -1 – What drives natural seasonal and inter-annual variability in coastal ecosystems in the Ross Sea?5
Southern Ocean Research and Antarctic Ecosystems Research all require a greater understanding of the climatic context conducted due to ecosystem dependency on climatic conditions.