HR: 0800h
AN: C21C-1113    [Abstracts]
TI: Spatial Variability of Arctic Precipitation Bias Adjustments
AU: * Bogart, T A
EM: tjive@udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Center for Climatic Research, Newark, DE 19716
AU: Legates, D R
EM: legates@udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Center for Climatic Research, Newark, DE 19716
AU: Yang, D
EM:
AF: University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Water and Environmental Research Center, Fairbanks, AK 99775
AU: Quiring, S
EM:
AF: Texas A&M University, Department of Geography, College Station, TX 77843
AU: Freeman, K
EM:
AF: University of Delaware, Center for Climatic Research, Newark, DE 19716
AB: The climatology of polar regions is of particular interest since this is where model simulations predict that the effects of climate change will first be noticeable. Documenting changes in the hydrology of the Arctic is essential to understanding the possible influence of Arctic river runoff on the global thermohaline circulation. To begin to document and quantify potential changes in the hydrology of the Arctic, an accurate precipitation climatology and time-series is needed. Unfortunately, precipitation is underestimated, particularly in the Arctic, due to the deleterious effect of wind on snowfall. Legates and colleagues (2005 AMS Conference) applied bias adjustments to almost 2800 precipitation recording stations in the Arctic (above 50°N). These gage-specific adjustments took into account (1) the effect of wind, (2) wetting losses on the walls of the gage, (3) evaporation from the gage (minor in the Arctic), and (4) the treatment of trace precipitation events in determining in precipitation totals. The research presented here assessed the spatial variability of the bias adjustments, which is dependent on the type of precipitation collected at the gage site (solid precipitation has a larger bias adjustment) and the type of gage used. Also the sensitivity of the variables (such as orifice elevation) required for adjustment calculations was evaluated since there are instances where an individual gage's properties does not match those of the national standard.
UR: http://deosserver.deos.udel.edu/arctic.html
DE: 0736 Snow (1827, 1863)
DE: 1804 Catchment
DE: 1833 Hydroclimatology
DE: 1854 Precipitation (3354)
DE: 3354 Precipitation (1854)
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005