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Climate and Dynamics
Antarctic snow accumulation mapped using polarization of 4.3-cm wavelength microwave emission
Article first published online: 29 MAR 2006
DOI: 10.1029/2004JD005667
Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.
2169-8996/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=eb26df77c6489aae7beb4facebed6f1946f71ff8 "Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)")
Additional Information
How to Cite
, , and (2006), Antarctic snow accumulation mapped using polarization of 4.3-cm wavelength microwave emission, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D06107, doi:10.1029/2004JD005667.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 29 MAR 2006
- Article first published online: 29 MAR 2006
- Manuscript Accepted: 1 DEC 2005
- Manuscript Revised: 26 OCT 2005
- Manuscript Received: 7 DEC 2004
Keywords:
- glaciology;
- remote sensing;
- snow and ice;
- polar meteorology;
- precipitation
[1] Different parts of Antarctica receive different amounts of snowfall each year. In this paper we map the variations of the mean annual snow accumulation across the ice sheet. We also quantify the uncertainty in our estimates more objectively than has been possible for earlier maps. The new map is produced using observations from satellites and ground-based measurements. After a logarithmic transformation, these are combined using the geostatistical method of continuous-part universal kriging to give an estimate of the snow accumulation within each cell of a rectangular grid covering Antarctica. We also derive spatial averages over the major drainage systems of the ice sheet, along with their confidence intervals. We obtain a value of 143 ± 4 kg m−2 a−1 for the average rate of snow accumulation upon the grounded ice sheet of Antarctica.