At McMurdo Station, scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are exploring new approaches to quantify snowfall accumulation under the extreme conditions of Antarctica.
These observations play a key role in improving our understanding of how climate change may influence future sea level rise. Accurately measuring snowfall in this environment is especially demanding, as it is challenging to differentiate between freshly falling snow and snow that is redistributed by strong winds.
With funding from the National Science Foundation, which oversees the U.S. Antarctic Program, the team is addressing this issue by deploying a purpose-built Antarctic Precipitation System (APS).
As part of a two-year initiative, four APS installations have been deployed across Antarctica.
"We want to demonstrate that we now have the capability to measure the really small amounts of snow that accumulate from event to event in the Antarctic environment,"
- Scott Landolt, Associate Scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research
To support the research objectives, the team has installed a range of snowfall monitoring instruments, including a particle size sensor and an elevated (approximately 3.5 meters above ground) OTT Pluvio² precipitation gauge equipped with a wind shield.
Positioning the gauge above the surface helps reduce the influence of blowing snow on the measurements. The surrounding wind shield slows down airflow, enhancing the accuracy of snowfall collection. The instrumentation is complemented by additional weather sensors that record temperature, wind speed, and snow accumulation height.
A day-and-night webcam is used to continuously observe the sensor setup. In addition, a nearby Antarctic Weather Station (AWS) operated by the University of Wisconsin – Madison provides backup data for selected parameters.