- 1Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Glaciology, Germany (va.reppert@t-online.de)
- 2University of Innsbruck, ACINN, Austria
Changes in snow accumulation on the Antarctic Ice Sheet are of significant relevance
to global mean sea level. Measurements taken over a 33-year period near the Neumayer
Stations, Dronning Maud Land (DML), Antarctica, were used to statistically
analyse both interannual and intraannual trends and variability of snow accumulation.
While a significant increases in snow accumulation have been observed at
Kohnen Station on the DML plateau in the interior of the continent, the question
arises as to whether the coastal measurements near Neumayer show similar trends.
This study reveals that two unprecedented accumulation years, 2021 and 2023, were
recorded near Neumayer; however, no statistically significant long-term trend could
be identified in the time series, which shows several periods of increasing and decreasing
mulit-annual means in snow accumulation. Despite this, shifts in certain
accumulation characteristics during the study period suggest the possible onset of
a positive trend. Specifically, positive annual accumulation anomalies have become
more frequent and more intense, the rate of interannual accumulation increase has
accelerated, and the current period reflects a prolonged state of above-average accumulation.
High interannual variability, however, prevents the identification of a
significant trend within the available data period.
Periodicities observed in the time series suggest possible links to larger atmospheric
patterns, such as the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave. Further research is required to
also investigate the role of the major climate modes such as the Southern Annular
Mode (SAM) and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and how these might influence
local accumulation trends. This climatological analysis offers valuable data
that could be used for future ground-truthing of satellite observations and benchmarking
of climate models, especially given the higher temporal resolution of these
measurements compared to firn and ice core records.
How to cite: Reppert, V., Eisen, O., and Prinz, R.: Climate Signals from Neumayer, Coastal Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica: A 33 Year Statistical Analysis of Snow Accumulation in a Stake Farm, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-10222, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-10222, 2025.