Speaker: Mathieu Casado (LSCE)
Title: The isotopic fingerprint of the atmospheric circulation in ice cores in Polar Regions


Abstract:
Water isotopic composition in ice core records is classically interpreted as a temperature proxy. In fact, the isotopic composition integrates the whole hydrological cycle, leading to a proxy signal recorded by ice cores different the local climatic variations. Here, I will be introducing a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to the interpretation of the isotopic signal, combining long term observations of vapour, precipitation and surface snow isotopic and isotope-enabled General Circulation Modelling tools. Ongoing work will use a wide range of numerical methods to evaluate physically-based estimates of the isotopic paleothermometer, i.e. the slope between isotopes and temperature, or detect the signature of climate change in Antarctica.