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Abstract

The amount of snow that accumulates on top of the Antarctic ice sheet represents a large flux, of the same order of magnitude as the current sea level rise. In this presentation, I will discuss the atmospheric water cycle in Antarctica, describe it within the context of the general circulation, and highlight the specific characteristics associated with the large ice sheet. I will then show that, at first order, physical parameterizations in atmospheric models are more important than model resolution for accurately simulating the Antarctic surface climate. For illustration, I will focus on Antarctic snow accumulation and the sublimation of precipitation within the atmospheric column. Finally, I will outline our ongoing efforts to further improve the LMDZ global atmospheric model over ice sheets, with an emphasis on snow modelling, air–snow exchanges, and cloud processes, in conjunction with constraints from water isotopes.

Speaker information

I am a senior researcher at the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE, Paris-Saclay), working on the Antarctic climate from an atmospheric point of view. I earned my PhD in 2012 at the University of Grenoble, France, where I studied the impact of topography on the Antarctic snow accumulation. I then spent five years at the University of Liège, Belgium, continuing to investigate the Antarctic water cycle while using and further developing the regional atmospheric model MAR. Since 2018, I have been a research fellow at the LSCE, where I study air-snow exchanges in Antarctica, including water isotopes, and contribute to improving their representation in both global and regional configurations of the LMDZ atmospheric model.

Zoom details https://uib.zoom.us/j/62554083320

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Best regards,

Julia and Robin