We present here surface water vapor isotopic measurements conducted from June to August~2010 at the NEEM camp, NW-Greenland (77.45° N 51.05° W, 2484 m a.s.l.). Measurements were conducted at 9 different heights from 0.1 m to 13.5 m above the snow surface using two different types of cavity-enhanced near infrared absorption spectroscopy analyzers. For each instrument specific protocols were developed for calibration and drift corrections.
The inter-comparison of corrected results from different instruments reveals excellent reproducibility, stability, and precision with a standard deviation of ~ 0.23‰ for δ18O and ~ 1.4‰ for δD. Diurnal and intra-seasonal variations show strong relationships between changes in local surface humidity and water vapor isotopic composition, and with local and synoptic weather conditions. This variability probably results from the interplay between local moisture fluxes, linked with firn-air exchanges, boundary layer dynamics, and large-scale moisture advection. Particularly remarkable are several episodes characterized by high (> 40‰) surface water vapor deuterium excess. Air mass back-trajectory calculations from atmospheric analyses and water tagging in the LMDZiso atmospheric model reveal that these events are associated with predominant Arctic air mass origin. The analysis suggests that high deuterium excess levels are a result of strong kinetic fractionation during evaporation at the sea ice margin.
Citation: Steen-Larsen, H. C., Johnsen, S. J., Masson-Delmotte, V., Stenni, B., Risi, C., Sodemann, H., Balslev-Clausen, D., Blunier, T., Dahl-Jensen, D., Ellehøj, M. D., Falourd, S., Gkinis, V., Grindsted, A., Jouzel, J., Popp, T., Sheldon, S., Simonsen, S. B., Sjolte, J., Steffensen, J. P., Sperlich, P., Sveinbjörnsdóttir, A. E., Vinther, B. M., and White, J. W. C.: Continuous monitoring of summer surface water vapour isotopic composition above the Greenland Ice Sheet, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 4815-4828, 2013, doi:10.5194/acp-13-4815-2013 o18018