Variations of snow accumulation and temperature over past decades in the Lambert Glacier basin, Antarctica

Abstract

The Lambert Glacier basin is a region of the East Antarctic ice sheet with a distinctive topography. Accumulation data derived from cane measurements are available from recent inland traverses in the western part of the basin, together with data on stable isotopes and visible stratigraphy of shallow cores and snow pits. These data suggest that snow accumulation has decreased since the 1930s by 16-37%, but that since the late 1980s it has been increasing. Temperature records from the nearby coastal station, Mawson, show no clear trend. Although the data are from only the western part of the basin, these results are quite different from those in many other regions of Antarctica. Further investigations are needed in this potentially exceptional region.