A synthesis of warm air advection to the South Polar Plateau

Abstract

Surface temperature and wind chronologies of varying length and 10 m snow temperatures have been used to produce a synthesis of airflow into Antarctica. This synthesis shows relatively warm air over Ellsworth Land, which appears to enter the South Polar Plateau through a slightly lower‐lying trough between the summit of the Transantarctic Mountains and the Polar Plateau. Comparison of recent automatic weather station (AWS) records from Mount Howe (88.5°S, 150°W) with four AWS surrounding South Pole at 89°S show that this upslope inflow is a frequent and persistent phenomenon.