Comparison of the atmospheric properties above Dome A, Dome C, and the South Pole

TL;DR

This study compares atmospheric properties above Dome A, Dome C, and the South Pole using ECMWF data and radiosoundings, revealing differences in wind speed and stability relevant for astronomical observations.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of atmospheric stability and wind profiles at three Antarctic sites, using ECMWF data validated by radiosoundings, for the first time covering an entire year.

Findings

Free atmosphere over the plateau is more stable than at mid-latitude sites.

Wind speed in winter correlates with distance from the polar high.

Dome A shows the most stable atmosphere among the three sites.

Abstract

The atmospheric properties above three sites on the Internal Antarctic Plateau are investigated for astronomical applications calculating the monthly median of the analysis-data from ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) for an entire year (2005) thus covering all seasons. Radiosoundings extended on a yearly time scale from Dome C and the South Pole are used to verify the reliability of the analyses in the free atmosphere and to study the wind speed in the first 100 m as the analysis-data are not optimized for this altitude-range. The wind speed in the free atmosphere is obtained from the ECMWF analyses from all three sites. It appears that the strength of the wind speed in the upper atmosphere in winter is correlated to the distance of the site from the centre of the polar high. The Richardson number is employed to investigate the stability of the free atmosphere and, consequently, the probability to trigger thermodynamic instabilities above the three sites. We find that, in a large majority of the cases, the free atmosphere over the Internal Antarctic Plateau is more stable than at mid-latitude sites. Given these data we can obtain a ranking of the three sites with respect to wind speed, in the free atmosphere as well as in the surface layer, and with respect to the stability of the atmosphere, using the Richardson number.