Publication - Constraints on the δ2H diffusion rate in firn from field measurements at Summit, Greenland
Abstract
We performed detailed 2H isotope diffusion measurements in the upper 3 m of firn at Summit, Greenland. Using a small snow gun, a thin snow layer was formed from 2H-enriched water over a 6 × 6 m2 area. We followed the diffusion process, quantified as the increase of the δ 2H diffusion length, over a 4-year period, by retrieving the layer once per year by drilling a firn core and slicing it into 1 cm layers and measuring the δ 2H signal of these layers. We compared our experimental findings to calculations based on the model by Johnsen et al. (2000) and found substantial differences. The diffusion length in our experiments increased much less over the years than in the model. We discuss the possible causes for this discrepancy and conclude that several aspects of the diffusion process in firn are still poorly constrained, in particular the tortuosity.
Authors
| Name | Organization |
| L. G. van der Wel | Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG - RUG) |
| H. A. Been | Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG - RUG) |
| Roderik van de Wal | Utrecht University, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU) |
| Paul Smeets | Utrecht University, Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU) |
| Harro Meijer | Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG - RUG) |
Datasets
No datasets linked to this publication yetProjects
| Title | Funding id | Period |
| On-site isotope diffusion experiments continued | 851.30.022 | 2007-07-01 - 2010-04-21 |
| Long term on-site isotope diffusion experiment | 851.30.015 | 2005-04-21 - 2008-05-15 |
External resource
Publication type
Journal Article
Date
2015-05-22
Journal
The Cryosphere
Volume
9
Issue
3
Pages
1089-1103
DOI
Keywords
- Diffusion
- Firm
- Isotope
- δ2H
