Kerguelen Climate and Interactions with Atmospheric Rivers

Over much of Antarctica, the surface mass balance (SMB) is controlled by a few extreme events, resulting from extreme moisture intrusions related to atmospheric rivers (ARs) flowing over the Southern Ocean. Atmospheric rivers affecting Wilkes and Adélie Land generally flow over Kerguelen Island before being forced to flow towards Antarctica. This project aims to analyze the atmospheric conditions on Kerguelen and to determine if the atmospheric rivers that pass over Kerguelen exhibit a particular signal. To do this, a rain micro radar (MRR-Pro) will be installed in Port aux Français. The data will allow us to observe the structure of the atmosphere while the atmospheric river is still at the beginning of its formation. This will also allow to analyze the impact of these events on the precipitations in Kerguelen.