1. Dynamic Processes Governing Lower-Tropospheric HDO/H2O Ratios as Observed from Space and Ground.
- Author
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Frankenberg, Christian, Yoshimura, Kei, Warneke, Thorsten, Aben, Ilse, Butz, André, Deutscher, Nicholas, Griffith, David, Hase, Frank, Notholt, Justus, Schneider, Matthias, Schrijver, Hans, and Röckmann, Thomas
- Subjects
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HYDROLOGICAL research , *ATMOSPHERIC water vapor , *PRECIPITATION variability , *RESEARCH methodology , *ABSORBANCE scale (Spectroscopy) , *GENERAL circulation model , *PHOTOGRAPHY in satellite meteorology , *MATHEMATICAL models of atmospheric circulation - Abstract
The hydrological cycle and its response to environmental variability such as temperature changes is of prime importance for climate reconstruction and prediction. We retrieved deuterated water/water (HDO/H2O) abundances using spaceborne absorption spectroscopy, providing an almost global perspective on the near-surface distribution of water vapor isotopologs. We observed an unexpectedly high HDO/H2O seasonality in the inner Sahel region, pointing to a strong isotopic depletion in the subsiding branch of the Hadley circulation and its misrepresentation in general circulation models. An extension of the analysis at high latitudes using ground-based observations of ̅δD and a model study shows that dynamic processes can entirely compensate for temperature effects on the isotopic composition of precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
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