IARC Seminar: Modern Isotope Climatology of Russia

Submitted by Kimberly Hayes
Phone: 907-474-7176
09/22/05

Nauyuki Kurita
Institute of Observational Research for Global Change (IORGC) JAMSTEC

Monday, October 17, 2005

IARC, Conference Room #401
1:30 p.m.

ABSTRACT

Stable isotope contents of precipitation over the continental region reflect environmental conditions, such as source region conditions and transport pathways, and also changes in moisture sources, air mass mixing, and continental recycling. All the above factors contribute isotopic variation of precipitation. This talk will show the characteristics of time-space distribution of isotopes in precipitation and snow over Russia, where the coverage of isotope data is not satisfactory. It will also examine the hydrological circulation over the continent. The atmospheric GCM that incorporates stable isotope and regional source tracers in the hydrological circles is used to reproduce observed isotopic distribution, and we show the model simulated moisture origin of precipitation over the continent.

Furthermore, we will discuss the contribution of snow-melt to summer precipitation, which is largely originated from recycled moisture. Because the greatest isotopic differences between winter snow and summer precipitation are observed in the Siberia region, where the contribution of recycled moisture in summer precipitation is maximum, the variability in the contribution of winter snow to summer precipitation result in large isotopic variability of summer precipitation. Towards the end of this talk, recent extension of the isotope research of IORGC will be presented.