Stable isotope compositions of precipitation in Antarctic Peninsula in response to El Nino/Southern Oscillation

For reconstructing past climate, an empirical linear relationship between air temperature and isotopic compositions of ice core has been used as a paleothermometer. However, the relationship between air temperature and stable isotope data is affected by the several factors other than temperature. Based on the result of Ichiyanagi et al. (2002), we examine the interannual variation of stable isotopes in precipitation at Argentine Island, Antarctica. The causes for the interannual variation of stable isotopes in Antarctic precipitation are discussed in the relation with El Nitilde{n}o/ Southern Oscillation (ENSO) using large-scale atmospheric data. Anomalies of surface air temperature and δ¹⁸O of precipitation in the Antarctic Peninsula are negatively correlated with ENSO. The low (high) anomaly of δ¹⁸O is associated with southerly (northerly) and cold (warm) anomalies, which is considered to appear as a response to the ENSO teleconnection. Rsults of the water budget analysis considering the origin of water vapor, relative contribution and remaining ratio of moisture flux are very important for determining the observed δ¹⁸O in precipitation.