Dynamic Processes Governing Lower-Tropospheric HDO/H2O Ratios as Observed from Space and Ground.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Dynamic Processes Governing Lower-Tropospheric HDO/H2O Ratios as Observed from Space and Ground.
Authors:	Frankenberg, Christian, Yoshimura, Kei, Warneke, Thorsten, Aben, Ilse, Butz, André, Deutscher, Nicholas, Griffith, David, Hase, Frank, Notholt, Justus, Schneider, Matthias, Schrijver, Hans, Röckmann, Thomas
Source:	Science (pre-March 2025). 9/11/2009, Vol. 325 Issue 5946, p1374-1377. 4p.
Subjects:	Hydrological research, Atmospheric water vapor, Precipitation variability, Research methodology, Absorbance scale (Spectroscopy), General circulation model, Photography in satellite meteorology, Mathematical models of atmospheric circulation
Geographic Terms:	Sahel
Abstract:	The hydrological cycle and its response to environmental variability such as temperature changes is of prime importance for climate reconstruction and prediction. We retrieved deuterated water/water (HDO/H2O) abundances using spaceborne absorption spectroscopy, providing an almost global perspective on the near-surface distribution of water vapor isotopologs. We observed an unexpectedly high HDO/H2O seasonality in the inner Sahel region, pointing to a strong isotopic depletion in the subsiding branch of the Hadley circulation and its misrepresentation in general circulation models. An extension of the analysis at high latitudes using ground-based observations of ̅δD and a model study shows that dynamic processes can entirely compensate for temperature effects on the isotopic composition of precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	The hydrological cycle and its response to environmental variability such as temperature changes is of prime importance for climate reconstruction and prediction. We retrieved deuterated water/water (HDO/H2O) abundances using spaceborne absorption spectroscopy, providing an almost global perspective on the near-surface distribution of water vapor isotopologs. We observed an unexpectedly high HDO/H2O seasonality in the inner Sahel region, pointing to a strong isotopic depletion in the subsiding branch of the Hadley circulation and its misrepresentation in general circulation models. An extension of the analysis at high latitudes using ground-based observations of ̅δD and a model study shows that dynamic processes can entirely compensate for temperature effects on the isotopic composition of precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	00368075
DOI:	10.1126/science.1173791