Satellite gravimetry observation of Antarctic snow accumulation related to ENSO

Interannual ice-mass variations along the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) and in the Amundsen Sea Sector (AS) are obtained for the years 2002 until 2009 using satellite data of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, that correlate well (r ≈ 0.7) with accumulation variations based on the net precipitation from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts. Moreover, mass signals for AP and AS are anti-correlated in time (r ≈ − 0.4) and contain El Niño Southern Oscillation signatures related to the strength of the Amundsen Sea Low pressure system, that has a dominant influence on West Antarctic atmospheric moisture transports. The GRACE interannual mass variations exhibit root-mean squared amplitudes of: 16.4 ± 4.1 Gt (AP) and 28.6 ± 10.5 Gt (AS), which are significant compared to the mean annual mass loss of − 110.2 ± 6.7 Gt/a in coastal West Antarctica.