On the relationship between Dasuopu Snow Accumulation and the Asian Summer Monsoon

Abstract

The Asian summer monsoon (ASM) is an important component of the global climate system. We investigate the relationship that exists between it and the snow accumulation record from an ice core drilled on the Dasuopu glacier in the Himalayas. This ice core record has been proposed as a proxy to study variability in the ASM. We argue that there is a weak direct expression of the ASM in the snow accumulation time series from the ice core. This is the result of the extreme elevation of the ice core site and the surface‐trapped characteristic of the atmospheric moisture transport associated with the ASM. We will present evidence of a coupling between Dasuopu snow accumulation (DSA) and the Hadley and Walker circulations. In particular, we argue that the recent reduction in snow accumulation at the site is the result of an intensification of the regional Hadley circulation.