Tritium Records to Trace Stratospheric Moisture Inputs in Antarctica

Stratospheric clues below the ice

28 September 2018

Concentrations of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, in Antarctic ice could shed light on the stratosphere’s role in the water cycle.

Natural tritium forms in the stratosphere — between 14 and 50 kilometres above Earth — and enters the water cycle by merging with hydrogen and oxygen. Tritium is thought to be a better tracer for stratospheric moisture than chemicals such as beryllium which get attached to aerosols. 

A team, including a researcher from Roshydromet, measured tritium concentrations over the last 50 years in three ice cores from the Vostok station, Antarctica. They observed a 10-year cycle, linked to solar cycles, and a three to five-year cycle that could be linked to atmospheric circulation.

This new dataset could help clarify how climate conditions are affected by moisture from the stratosphere.

Supported content

References

1. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 123, 3009–3018 (2018). doi: 10.1002/2018JD028304