One Year of Surface-Based Temperature Inversions at Dome C, Antarctica

Abstract

In 2005 the Study of Stable Boundary Layer Environment at Dome C (STABLEDC) experimental campaign was conducted at the plateau station of Concordia at Dome C, Antarctica. Temperature profiles measured with a microwave radiometer were used to study the characteristics of surface-based temperature inversions over the course of a year. Statistics of temperature profiles for every month are discussed; the difference between daytime and nocturnal cases observed during the summer months disappears during winter. Surface-based temperature inversions occurred in 70 % of the time during summer, and almost all of the time during winter. During winter the occurrence of warming events leads to a decrease in the temperature difference between the top and the base of the inversion (i.e. the inversion strength). The inversion strength maxima ranged between 3°C (December) and 3°C (August) corresponding to gradients of 0.1 and 0.3°Cm-1, respectively. The average surface-based inversion height presents a daily cycle during the summer months with values up to 200 m in the morning hours, while it affects a layer always deeper than 100 m during the winter months. The relationships between inversion strength and the downward longwave radiative flux, absolute temperature, and wind speed are examined. The inversion strength decreases as the longwave radiation increases. A clear anti-correlation between inversion strength and near-surface temperature is evident throughout the year. During the winter, the largest inversion strength values were observed under low wind-speed conditions; in contrast, a clear dependence was not found during the summer. © 2013 The Author(s).