Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

An Analysis of the Ross Ice Shelf Surface Wind Field, During the Austral Autumn, Based on Dominant Wind Regimes

An analysis of the surface wind field across the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica is presented. The analysis is based on the observations from a recently expanded network of automatic weather station in the Ross Ice Shelf region. The wind speed and direction observations are analyzed through the use of wind roses. Sea level pressure fields from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System are used to provide an understanding of the forcing mechanisms for the observed surface wind field. A seasonal analysis is conducted for austral autumn 2005 to provide an overview of the surface wind field. Four dominant wind regimes are defined and selected based on the seasonal results and previous research. The dominant wind regimes are: barrier wind, strong katabatic, weak katabatic, and light wind. An analysis of the automatic weather station observations, and corresponding average sea level pressure fields, are conducted for each regime. A selected event is included as a case study for each regime to provide additional analysis. The results provide a comprehensive study of the wind flow across the Ross Ice Shelf for austral autumn 2005.