Abstract: Début novembre, deux chercheurs embarqueront pour « l’archipel de la désolation ». Objectif : étudier les micronutriments apportés par l’air des continents, indispensables aux microalgues pompant le CO2 issu de l’atmosphère.
Journal du CNRS

Abstract: Depth-integrated production rates of OH radicals and NO2 molecules from snowpacks in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, are calculated from fieldwork investigating the light penetration depth (e-folding depth) and nadir reflectivity of snowpacks during the unusually warm spring of 2006. Light penetration depths of 8.1, 11.3, 5.1, and 8.2 cm were measured for fresh, old, marine-influenced, and glacial snowpacks, respectively (wavelength 400 nm). Radiative-transfer calculations of the light penetration depths with reflectivity measurements produced scattering cross sections of 5.3, 9.5, 20, and 25.5 m2 kg-1 and absorption cross sections of 7.7, 1.4, 3.4, and 0.5 cm2 kg-1 for the fresh, old, marine-influenced, and glacial snowpacks, respectively (wavelength 400 nm). Photolysis rate coefficients, J, are presented as a function of snow depth and solar zenith angle for the four snowpacks for the photolysis of H2O2 and NO3-. Depth-integrated production rates of hydroxyl radicals are 1270, 2130, 950, and 1850 nmol m-2 h-1 (solar zenith angle of 60°) for fresh, old, marine-influenced, and glacial snowpacks, respectively. Depth-integrated production rates of NO2 are 32, 56, 11, and 22 nmol m-2 h-1 (solar zenith angle of 60°) for the fresh, old, marine-influenced, and glacial snowpacks, respectively. The uncertainty of repeated light penetration depth measurement was determined to be ~20%, which propagates into a 20% error in depth-integrated production rates. A very simple steady state hydroxyl radical calculation demonstrates that a pseudo first-order loss rate of OH radicals of ~102–104 s-1 is required in snowpack. The snowpacks around Ny-Ålesund are thick enough to be considered optically infinite.

Abstract: Temperature profiles measurements are performed daily (00:00 UT) in Dumont d'Urville (66°40' S, 140°01' E) by Météo-France, using standard radiosondes, since the International Geophysical Year in 1957. Yet, due to a 16 years data gap between 1963 and 1978, the entire dataset is only used for a qualitative overview. Only the most recent series, between 1979 and 2008, is used to investigate the inter-annual stratospheric temperatures variability. Over Dumont d'Urville, at the edge of the vortex, the annual mean temperature cooling of about 1 K/decade at 20 km is the result of the cooling trends between 0.5 and 1.4 K/decade, in summer and autumn and a warming of about 1.1 K/decade in spring. These values are consistent with values obtained using data from inner vortex stations, but with smaller amplitude. No statistically significant trend is detected in winter. We propose here the first attempt to link stratospheric temperature trends to Polar Stratospheric Cloud (PSC) trends in Antarctica based on the only continuous 20 years database of PSC lidar detection. Despite the absence of mean temperature trend during winter, the occurrence of temperatures below the NAT threshold between 1989 and 2008 reveals a significant trend of about +6%/decade. The PSCs occurrences frequency exhibits a concomitant trend of about +3%/decade, although not statistically significant. Yet, this is consistent with results obtained in the Northern Hemisphere. Such a possible positive trend in PSC occurrence has to be further explored to be confirmed or invalidated. If confirmed, this PSC trend is likely to have strong impacts, both on ozone recovery and climate evolution in Antarctica. The study also reveals the importance of trends on extreme temperatures, and not only on mean temperatures.