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Underestimation of Snow Accumulation Rate in Central Antarctica (Vostok Station) Derived from Stake Measurements

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Abstract

It is shown that the snow stake measurements in central Antarctica systematically underestimate the value of the snow build-up. Two methods for the calculation of the corresponding correction to the snow stake measurements at Vostok station are developed to take this underestimation into account. The first method is based on the Sorge’s law to calculate the rate of compaction of snow layers using the vertical profile of snow density. The second method is based on the direct field measurements of this compaction. Two independent methods for the estimation of the snow accumulation rate in the vicinity of Vostok station are also considered: geodetic data on the rate of snow layer sinking and glaciological data from snow pits. The most reliable estimate of the snow accumulation rate in this region is 2.26 ± 0.10 g/cm2 per year, that is 8 ± 4% higher than uncorrected values from snow accumulation measurements.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank an anonymous reviewer for useful remarks.

Funding

The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant 17-05-01168).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, ul. Beringa 38, St. Petersburg, 199397, Russia

    A. A. Ekaykin, N. A. Teben’kova, V. Ya. Lipenkov, K. B. Tchikhatchev & A. N. Veres

  2. Institute of Earth Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia

    A. A. Ekaykin, N. A. Teben’kova & A. N. Veres

  3. Institute of Planetary Geodesy, Technical University of Dresden, Helmholtzstrae 10, Dresden, 01069, Germany

    A. Richter

Authors
  1. A. A. Ekaykin
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  2. N. A. Teben’kova
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  3. V. Ya. Lipenkov
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  4. K. B. Tchikhatchev
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  5. A. N. Veres
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  6. A. Richter
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. A. Ekaykin.

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Russian Text © The Author(s), 2020, published in Meteorologiya i Gidrologiya, 2020, No. 2, pp. 114–125.

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Ekaykin, A.A., Teben’kova, N.A., Lipenkov, V.Y. et al. Underestimation of Snow Accumulation Rate in Central Antarctica (Vostok Station) Derived from Stake Measurements. Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol. 45, 132–140 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373920020090

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373920020090

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