Resolving the controls of water vapour isotopes in the Atlantic sector

Jean-Louis Bonne (), Melanie Behrens, Hanno Meyer, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Benjamin Rabe, Lutz Schönicke, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen and Martin Werner
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Jean-Louis Bonne: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Melanie Behrens: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Hanno Meyer: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Sepp Kipfstuhl: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Benjamin Rabe: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Lutz Schönicke: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Hans Christian Steen-Larsen: University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
Martin Werner: Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Stable water isotopes are employed as hydrological tracers to quantify the diverse implications of atmospheric moisture for climate. They are widely used as proxies for studying past climate changes, e.g., in isotope records from ice cores and speleothems. Here, we present a new isotopic dataset of both near-surface vapour and ocean surface water from the North Pole to Antarctica, continuously measured from a research vessel throughout the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans during a period of two years. Our observations contribute to a better understanding and modelling of water isotopic composition. The observations reveal that the vapour deuterium excess within the atmospheric boundary layer is not modulated by wind speed, contrary to the commonly used theory, but controlled by relative humidity and sea surface temperature only. In sea ice covered regions, the sublimation of deposited snow on sea ice is a key process controlling the local water vapour isotopic composition.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09242-6

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