Antarctic Ice Sheet elevation impacts on water isotope records during
the Last Interglacial
Abstract
Knowledge of how the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) has varied in response to
past climates can inform the prediction of future AIS behaviour. Water
stable isotope records from Antarctic ice cores traditionally provide
information on past temperature changes. However, these reconstructions
neglect changes in atmospheric circulation, which can be induced by
elevation changes. Here, we simulate an ensemble of idealised AIS
elevation change scenarios using the isotope-enabled HadCM3 climate
model during the Last Interglacial period (LIG). Our ensemble is used to
investigate the isotope-elevation relationship. Changing AIS elevations
linearly modify the response in surface air temperature, as
precipitation and $\delta^{18}$O. Especially, we
observe $\delta^{18}$O decrease with the AIS
elevation, with higher slopes on the coast compared to the plateau,
reflecting different processes. We note that the effect of sea-ice
induced by AIS changes is small. These results help to isolate the
effect of AIS changes on the LIG $\delta^{18}$O
signals.