CALVA - ACDC

Antarctic field data for CALibration and VAlidation of meteorological and climate models and satellite retrievals, Antarctic Coast to Dome C

The CALVA data distribution page

On this page we provide access to field data obtained as part of the CALVA project.

This is a free access data distribution page for use in your research projects (no commercial/profit use please). We would be grateful if you let us know if and how you use our data. Please reference the CALVA project and CENECLAM and GLACIOCLIM observatories in any presentation/publication with a sentence like:
“We acknowledge using data from the CALVA project and CENECLAM and GLACIOCLIM observatories, http://www-lgge.ujf-grenoble.fr/~christo/calva/”.
An additional acknowledgment to the ICE2SEA-sponsored project (http://www.ice2sea.eu/) is required for those data which have benefited ICE2SEA support.
Please let us know! We need these acknowledgments and your support to get continued support for this activity.

This page is “in progress”, expected to improve (presentation, content) in the future.

The 45+ m meteorological profiling at Dome C

These are the data published in Genthon et al. (2010), Genthon et al. (2011) and Genthon et al. (2013), see the publication page on this site, and more observations obtained since. There are 6 levels of wind speed, temperature and moisture measurement along a ~45-m tower. Elevation above the surface changes slowly with time as snow accumulates. The instruments are interrogated every 30 s. From this, the mean, max, min and variance within ½ hour time slices are calculated and archived. Please see Genthon et al. (2010) for other details. The format is self-descriptive. Quality control is not necessarily consistently warranted, please contact Christophe Genthon (christophe.genthon at cnrs.fr) for inquiries.

Temperature Wind
Temperature 2009Wind 2009
Temperature 2010Wind 2010
Temperature 2011Wind 2011
Temperature 2012Wind 2012
Temperature 2013Wind 2013
Temperature 2014Wind 2014
Temperature 2015Wind 2015
Temperature 2016Wind 2016
Temperature 2017Wind 2017
Temperature 2018Wind 2018
Temperature 2019Wind 2019
Temperature 2020Wind 2020
Temperature 2021Wind 2021
Temperature 2022Wind 2022
Temperature 2023Wind 2023
Temperature 2024Wind 2024
Temperature 2025Wind 2025

The atmospheric moisture / supersaturation reports at Dome C

These are the 2015 atmospheric temperature and moisture reports by the HMP sensor modified to allow the sampling of supersaturated air as described in Genthon et al. [2017] (see publication page on this site). Observations are made ~3 m above the surface. These are the raw data. Genthon et al. [2017] use further filtered and processed the data, and also data from a frost point hygrometer. All data can be made available on request.

The ICE2SEA/CALVA/GLACIOCLIM blowing snow observing campaign data in Adélie Land, 2009-2011

These data have benefited strong support by the ICE2SEA FP7 Europe-funded project (http://www.ice2sea.eu/). Please acknowledge not only IPEV and CENACLAM but also ICE2SEA in any use of the data!

FlowCapt blowing snow sensors were deployed at D3 on the coast of Adélie Land in early 2009. These were the first blowing snow observations made as part of our on-going blowing snow CENACLAM / ICE2SEA observatory in Adélie Land. Adélie Land is scoured by strong, frequent and durable catabatic winds: This is a very appropriate place to run blowing snow observations and extensively characterize blowing snow processes. We now have instruments of various kinds from the coast to 100 km inland. A short description of the observing system is given in Genthon et al, La Météorologie, 2011 (in French. Please see the publication section, http://www-lgge.obs.ujf-grenoble.fr/~christo/calva/publications/home.shtml). The 2010 data at D3 are used for a first evaluation and validation of the simulation of blowing snow in the MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional) mesoscale model in Gallée et al (2012) (see publication section). Writing a publication is for Water Resource Research to fully describe the observing system is in progress. All available observing data will be made available here at completion of this publication.

The D3 FlowCapt and meteorology (wind, temperature, moisture) data are available here (2009) and here (2010). Columns are: Date / time (local), temperature (°C), relative humidity with respect to liquid (as provided by Humicap, %), wind speed (m/s) and direction, and flux by the 3 FlowCapt instruments (0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 m above surface). Note: For those early instruments, flux quantification is unreliable (see Gallée et al. cited above), we recommend using those data for blowing snow occurrence detection, not for quantification. Newer FlowCapt and other instruments are now deployed which will provide reliable flux quantities.

The D17 7-m meteorological profiling and blowing snow data set

A 7-m mast stands at D17, approximately 10 km from the coast, with 6 levels of wind, temperature and moisture measurement and 2 FlowCapt at ground level. Data are provided in the files below, with a fixed nominal instrument height above the surface. The height actually varies in time due to snow accumulation, please contact us for more information.

Temperature Wind Relative Humidity
T 2010W 2010RH 2010
T 2011W 2011RH 2011
T 2012W 2012RH 2012
T 2013W 2013RH 2013
T 2018W 2018RH 2018
T 2019W 2019RH 2019
T 2020W 2020RH 2020
T 2021W 2021RH 2021
T 2022W 2022RH 2022
T 2023W 2023RH 2023
T 2024W 2024RH 2024
T 2025W 2025RH 2025

Data are provided for free use (but please acknowledge!) but without any guarantee. Please contact us for any inquiry and further information: christophe.genthon at cnrs.fr