Temperature and accumulation at the Greenland Summit: Comparison of high‐resolution isotope profiles and satellite passive microwave brightness temperature trends

Abstract

Long‐term satellite passive microwave brightness temperature trends, supported by short‐term automatic weather station (AWS) temperature data, show that the Greenland Summit area experiences secondary warm periods in the late fall and/or winter as well as primary midsummer warmth. High‐resolution isotope profiles from snow pits dug in 1989, 1990, and 1991 near the Greenland Ice Sheet Project II; (GISP2) site reveal that stable isotope ratios (δ 18 O and δD) preserve this distinctive temperature cycle. This indicates that snow accumulation occurs frequently through the year at the Greenland Summit and that the isotope record initially contains temperature information from many times of the year. Through an empirically derived emissivity model using AWS air temperature data and satellite microwave brightness temperatures, our approach allows isotope values preserved in the snow to be related to estimated near‐surface air temperatures. Density‐corrected profiles allow the amounts and timing of accumulation to be determined as well. Our results indicate that stable isotope ratios from the near‐surface snow at the Greenland Summit are currently a reliable, high‐resolution temperature proxy. This result increases confidence in the paleoclimatic interpretation of isotope signal variations in the GISP2 and Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP) deep ice cores.