Isotopic measurements in water vapor, precipitation, and seawater during EUREC4A

Abstract

Abstract. In early 2020, an international team set out to investigate trade wind cumulus and their coupling to the large-scale circulation through the field campaign EUREC4A: ElUcidating the RolE of Clouds‐Circulation Coupling in ClimAte. Focused on the western tropical Atlantic near Barbados, EUREC4A deployed a number of innovative observational strategies, including a large network of water isotopic measurements, to study the tropical shallow convective environment. The goal of the isotopic measurements was to elucidate processes that regulate the hydroclimate state – for example, by identifying moisture sources, quantifying mixing between atmospheric layers, characterizing the microphysics that influence the formation and persistence of clouds and precipitation, and providing an extra constraint in the evaluation of numerical simulations. During EUREC4A, researchers deployed seven water vapor isotopic analyzers on two aircraft, on three ships, and at the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO). Precipitation was also collected for isotopic analysis at BCO and from aboard four ships. In addition, three ships collected seawater for isotopic analysis. All told, the in situ data span the period 5 January through 22 February 2020 and cover the approximate area 6 to 16° N and −50 to −60° W. Moreover, water vapor isotope ratios were measured from a few meters to nearly 8 km above sea level. This paper describes the full EUREC4A isotopic in situ data collection – providing extensive information about sampling strategies and data uncertainties – and also guides readers to complementary remotely sensed water vapor isotope ratios. DOIs for the multiple isotopic datasets are provided in Sect. 5 Data Availability.