Concordia ATmospheric CHemistry – Observatory (CATCH-O): a tighter focus on the atmosphere of the Antarctic Plateau

Atmospheric chemistry in polar areas is a key determinant for climate evolution, and many sets of data and experimental observations from both hemispheres exist to date. However, data on continuous and long-term studies and monitoring in continental polar areas, such as the Antarctic Plateau, are still very scarce. While presenting significant implementation difficulties, such observations are necessary to understand the current climate system of the Southern Ocean and the environmental variables involved in its evolution on a multi-annual scale. Furthermore, the study of atmospheric chemical composition in continental Antarctica can provide important information for the interpretation of chemical stratigraphies from ice cores, which is made complicated in these areas by post-depositional processes due to atmosphere-snow exchanges. To date, there is no permanent observatory on the Antarctic Plateau dedicated to the study of the chemical properties of atmospheric aerosols, excluding the South Pole Observatory, which is nevertheless focused on the study of climate-altering gases and the physical properties of aerosols, except for a few short-term campaigns.

For these reasons, a New Observatory dedicated to the study of the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosol and ozone at the Concordia station (Dome C), on the Antarctic Plateau (CATCH-O Project) is currently in its first phase of implementation. This facility takes advantage of solid infrastructure set up during previous Italian National Antarctic Programs. It will be able to merge Near-Real Time data (ozone concentration and selected ion markers of atmospheric sources and processes) with off-line chemical composition data obtained from sampling and subsequent chemical analysis of several atmospheric source and process markers.

Due to its central location within the Antarctic continent, its elevation (about 3230 m), its distance from the coast (about 1100 km) and from ocean sources and related biogeochemical processes, Dome C can be considered representative of a background atmosphere. In this way, the Atmospheric Chemistry Observatory of Dome C will represent a relevant research opportunity for obtaining a long-term baseline of atmospheric chemical composition in relation to the entire continent.

Here, the already available data obtained by both off-line and on-line measurements within CATCH-O Observatory will be presented for the first time.