Abstract. Black carbon (BC) is an important climate-forcing agent that affects snow albedo. In this work, we present a record of refractory black carbon (rBC) variability, measured from a 20 m deep snow and firn core drilled in West Antarctica (79∘55′34.6′′ S, 94∘21′13.3′′ W, 2122 m above sea level) during the 2014–2015 austral summer. This is the highest elevation rBC record from West Antarctica. The core was analyzed using the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) coupled to a CETAC Marin-5 nebulizer. Results show a well-defined seasonality with geometric mean concentrations of 0.015 µg L−1 for the wet season (austral summer–fall) and 0.057 µg L−1 for the dry season (austral winter–spring). The core was dated to 47 years (1968–2015) using rBC seasonality as the main parameter, along with sodium (Na), sulfur (S) and strontium (Sr) variations. The annual rBC concentration geometric mean was 0.03 µg L−1, the lowest of all rBC cores in Antarctica referenced in this work, while the annual rBC flux was 6.25 µg m−2 a−1, the lowest flux in West Antarctica rBC records. No long-term trend was observed. Snow albedo reductions at the site due to BC were simulated using SNICAR online and found to be insignificant (−0.48 %) compared to clean snow. Fire spot inventory and BC emission estimates from the Southern Hemisphere suggest Australia and Southern Hemisphere South America as the most probable emission sources of BC to the drilling site, whereas HYSPLIT model particle transport simulations from 1968 to 2015 support Australia and New Zealand as rBC sources, with limited contributions from South America. Spectral analysis (REDFIT method) of the BC record showed cycles related to the Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) and to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), but cycles in common with the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) were not detected. Correlation of rBC records in Antarctica with snow accumulation, elevation and distance to the sea suggests rBC transport to East Antarctica is different from transport to West Antarctica.

Este trabalho apresenta a variabilidade das razões de isótopos de oxigênio na neve superficial ao longo de uma travessia do manto de gelo da Antártida ocidental realizada no verão austral de 2004/2005 por uma expedição conjunta entre pesquisadores chilenos e brasileiros. A travessia foi realizada entre a estação chilena Tenente Parodi, em Patriot Hills (80°18’S, 081°21’W) e o Polo Sul geográfico, cobrindo uma distância de mais de 1.205 km. Foram coletadas amostras de neve superficial (entre 0,05 a 0,2 m de profundidade) aproximadamente a cada 10 km (total de 104 amostras). A temperatura média anual foi obtida em seis pontos espaçados aproximadamente 220 km entre si, a uma profundidade entre 10 e 15 m. A razão isotópica do oxigênio (δ 18O) de cada amostra foi determinada por espectrometria de massas com fonte de gás (GSMS - Gas Source Mass Spectrometry) com precisão de 0,05 ‰. Os resultados indicam forte correlação entre δ 18O e temperatura local, latitude, altitude e distância da costa, sendo a primeira positiva e as outras negativas. Valores isotópicos relativamente altos são encontrados entre 87°30’S e 86°44’S, resultantes de processos pós-deposicionais devido à formação de glaze ice (esmalte de gelo) identificadas em campo. O gradiente δ18O/Elevação encontrado foi de -0,08‰ /100 m e o gradiente δ 18O/Temperatura de 0,743 ‰/°C. Com exceção das anomalias citadas, os resultados são concordantes com os encontrados por outros pesquisadores no manto de gelo antártico.