Dispersion in deep polar firn driven by synoptic-scale surface pressure variability

Buizert, Christo; Severinghaus, Jeffrey P.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2099-2016

Articles | Volume 10, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2099-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Special issue:

International Partnerships in Ice Core Sciences (IPICS) Second...

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2099-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 10, issue 5

Research article

| Highlight paper

|

15 Sep 2016

Research article | Highlight paper |

| 15 Sep 2016

Dispersion in deep polar firn driven by synoptic-scale surface pressure variability

Christo Buizert and Jeffrey P. Severinghaus

Data sets

Gas transport in firn: multiple-tracer characterisation and model intercomparison for NEEM, Northern Greenland C. Buizert, P. Martinerie, V. V. Petrenko, J. P. Severinghaus, C. M. Trudinger, E. Witrant, J. L. Rosen, A. J. Orsi, M. Rubino, D. M. Etheridge, L. P. Steele, C. Hogan, J. C. Laube, W. T. Sturges, V. A. Levchenko, A. M. Smith, I. Levin, T. J. Conway, E. J. Dlugokencky, P. M. Lang, K. Kawamura, T. M. Jenk, J. W. C. White, T. Sowers, J. Schwander, and T. Blunier https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-4259-2012

Controls on the movement and composition of firn air at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide M. O. Battle, J. P. Severinghaus, E. D. Sofen, D. Plotkin, A. J. Orsi, M. Aydin, S. A. Montzka, T. Sowers, and P. P. Tans https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-11007-2011

Air mixing in firn and the age of the air at pore close-off J. Schwander, B. Stauffer, and A. Sigg https://www.igsoc.org/annals/10/igs_annals_vol10_year1988_pg141-145.pdf

Short summary

The upper 50–100 m of the world's ice sheets consists of the firn layer, a porous layer of snow that is slowly compacted by overlying snow. Understanding air movement inside the firn is critical for ice core climate reconstructions. Buizert and Severinghaus identify and describe a new mechanism of firn air movement. High- and low-pressure systems force air movement in the firn that drives strong mixing, called dispersion. Dispersion is the main mechanism for air mixing in the deep firn.