Isotopic composition and origin of snow over Siberia

The spatial isotopic distribution of snowpack over Siberia, where winter temperatures are as cold as those of the polar regions, was observed by the Trans-Siberian Snow Survey (TSSS) and Trans-Verkhoyansk Snow Survey Expedition (TVSSE) in March 2000 and March 2001. The results show inland dD depletion and a constant deuterium value d in snowpack over Siberia. To explore the relationship between source region variability and the isotopic composition of snow, a model simulation was performed that reproduced the observed isotopic composition of snow. Moisture sources for Siberian precipitation were estimated using the CCSR/NIES atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM). A simple isotopic model was used to evaluate the total isotopic changes during transport from the designated source region to the region of precipitation. The results showed that the variability of the contribution of each source to the snow results in the large isotopic variability, and the fact that the model reproduced the observed inland depletion of dD in snowpack suggests that GCM-predicted source contributions were verified by observed values. However, the modeled d values did not match observed values over Siberia. Observations of d values in precipitation show an increase during autumn towards a maximum in late autumn and then a decrease during winter; however the modeled d value reached a maximum in early autumn and decreased toward a minimum in winter. The simple isotope model does not consider additional moisture evaporation joining an airmass moving from a source region. Thus, the disagreement between the modeled and observed d values of snow suggest that moisture supplied from the land surface during transportation significantly contributes to autumn snow. The increased d values of Siberian snow show that evaporation from open water or from the soil surface, which are accompanied by isotopic fractionation,is more important than transpiration flux, which does not change the isotopic content. Contributions of land- derived moisture that has evaporated from open water play an important role in eastern Siberian snow.