Curved atmospheric rivers and their moisture remnants: a new detection tool for Antarctica

Buffet, Victoire; Favier, Vincent; Pohl, Benjamin; Wille, Jonathan D.

doi:10.5194/wcd-7-1189-2026

Articles | Volume 7, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-1189-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-1189-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 7, issue 3

Research article

|

07 Jul 2026

Research article |

| 07 Jul 2026

Curved atmospheric rivers and their moisture remnants: a new detection tool for Antarctica

Victoire Buffet, Vincent Favier, Benjamin Pohl, and Jonathan D. Wille

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-1189-2026-supplement

Data sets

DARK AR Detection Catalog (ERA5, 1979–2023) Victoire Buffet, Benjamin Pohl, Vincent Favier https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17962931

DARK ARs + AR-Children Catalog (ERA5, 1979–2023) Victoire Buffet, Benjamin Pohl, Vincent Favier https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17963007

Model code and software

DARK (+ AR children) Atmospheric River Catalogs Victoire Buffet, Benjamin Pohl, Vincent Favier https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20610709

Short summary

We improve the detection of long corridors of intense moisture transport, known as atmospheric rivers, that affect Antarctica. Our new method can track these rivers even when they curve, cross the South Pole, or break into smaller parts. We show that they cause even more heavy snowfall and warm weather on the continent than previously thought, clarifying their role in shaping Antarctic climate and ice loss.