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Titel |
Inconsistency in precipitation measurements across the Alaska–Yukon border |
VerfasserIn |
L. Scaff, D. Yang, Y. Li, E. Mekis |
Medientyp |
Artikel
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Sprache |
Englisch
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ISSN |
1994-0416
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Digitales Dokument |
URL |
Erschienen |
In: The Cryosphere ; 9, no. 6 ; Nr. 9, no. 6 (2015-12-21), S.2417-2428 |
Datensatznummer |
250116889
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Publikation (Nr.) |
copernicus.org/tc-9-2417-2015.pdf |
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Zusammenfassung |
This study quantifies the inconsistency in gauge precipitation observations
across the border of Alaska and Yukon. It analyses the precipitation
measurements by the national standard gauges (National Weather Service (NWS) 8 in. gauge and Nipher
gauge) and the bias-corrected data to account for wind effect on the gauge
catch, wetting loss and trace events. The bias corrections show a
significant amount of errors in the gauge records due to the windy and cold
environment in the northern areas of Alaska and Yukon. Monthly corrections
increase solid precipitation by 136 % in January and 20 % for July at the
Barter Island in Alaska, and about 31 % for January and 4 % for July at
the Yukon stations. Regression analyses of the monthly precipitation data
show a stronger correlation for the warm months (mainly rainfall) than for
cold month (mainly snowfall) between the station pairs, and small changes in
the precipitation relationship due to the bias corrections. Double mass
curves also indicate changes in the cumulative precipitation over the study
periods. This change leads to a smaller and inverted precipitation gradient
across the border, representing a significant modification in the
precipitation pattern over the northern region. Overall, this study
discovers significant inconsistency in the precipitation measurements across
the USA–Canada border. This discontinuity is greater for snowfall than
for rainfall, as gauge snowfall observations have large errors in windy and
cold conditions. This result will certainly impact regional, particularly
cross-border, climate and hydrology investigations. |
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