Preliminary analysis and main problems of instrumental measurement complex at the Vernadsky Antarctic Station

Measurements of precipitation has always had well known difficulties that caused inaccuracies. This is especially acute in Polar regions where prevailing solid precipitation is accomplished with strong winds. Alternatively some indirect methods of precipitation measurements still in development and numerous meteorological instruments have been created on their basis.

The Akademik Vernadsky station is located in the Antarctic Peninsula region with a large amount of precipitation and  the problem of its measuring has always been relevant here. Although the data of monthly precipitation have been found for Vernadsky (Faraday) station since 1964, the first standard Tretyakov precipitation gauge was set up there only in 1997. But in recent years, several new instruments for indirect precipitation measurement have been installed at the meteorological site. The consistency of their data are the subject for this study. 

Direct comparison of all measurement devices as well as investigation of their estimations dependencies from other meteorological parameters are analysed and will be presented for the period 2019-2020. Originally various instruments showed huge differences in precipitation estimates. Deep analysis and correction of the measurement results according to weather conditions is obviously needed for bias reduction. But the local features of the extremely heterogeneous underlying surface of the region affect the vertical component of the wind, and can cause the natural small scale precipitation variability. 

The advantages of indirect methods for precipitation measuring is a high sensitivity to registering even individual falling precipitation particles and, hence, the really high temporal resolution of the data. Therefore, it can be used for investigation of physical atmospheric processes. As an example, the case study of a cyclone with precipitation phase transition over Vernadsky station on December 5-6, 2020 is investigated and will be presented. A comparison of the measurement data of various devices (Tretyakov Precipitation Gauge, Snow Stick, Vaisala PWD22, Lufft WS100, METEK MRR-PRO) and the ERA-5 reanalysis was carried out. A vertical radar MRR-PRO is of special interest as a measuring instrument for polar regions because it can ignore surface snow transport and has proved reliability in the Antarctic environment recently. In Marine Antarctica this device can identify the height of precipitation melting and also show a number of other useful parameters. This complex of precipitation measurement instruments is planned to be used in the frames of the forthcoming YOPP-SH field campayne.