It's fastest in the far north...
Overall, Alaska has warmed substantially over the twentieth century, especially within the last few decades. The increased temperature in Alaska correlates with a larger trend occurring throughout the Arctic area. Not only has the average warming since the 1950’s increased 4° F with the greatest increase of about 7° F in the interior of the winter, but also Alaska has grown increasingly wetter with a 30% increase in precipitation between 1968 and 1990. This increase in warmth and moisture also yields a longer growing season which has lengthened by more than 14 days since the 1950’s (USGCRP 1). Presently, the most severe stresses in Alaska are climate related.
people.cornellcollege.edu
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Welcome. This website is a portal to recent research related to Arctic climate and climate change at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois.
Observed Climate Change
Recent observed surface air temperature changes over the Arctic region are the largest in the world. Winter (DJF) rates of warming exceed 4 degrees C. over portions of the Arctic land areas (shown left). We provide Arctic temperature trends and changes of other primary surface variables (e.g., sea level pressure, precipitation, sea ice cover) archived in this climate summary, portions of which are published each year in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu
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Warming hits 'tipping point'
Siberia feels the heat It's a frozen peat bog the size of France and Germany combined, contains billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas and, for the first time since the ice age, it is melting
Ian Sample, science correspondent
Thursday August 11, 2005
The Guardian
Western Siberia is heating up faster than anywhere else in the world, having experienced a rise of some 3C in the past 40 years. Scientists are particularly concerned about the permafrost, because as it thaws, it reveals bare ground which warms up more quickly than ice and snow, and so accelerates the rate at which the permafrost thaws.
guardian.co.uk
Observed Changes and Drivers of Permafrost Temperatures in Northeastern Siberia
Authors:
Frauenfeld, O. W.; Zhang, T.; Barry, R. G.; Gilichinsky, D.
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #C22A-04
Publication Date:
12/2005
Abstract
Permafrost temperature is an important indicator of climate change, especially in high-latitude environments. It is linked to the climate through the ground surface, vegetation, snow cover, and the active layer. Long-term permafrost temperature measurements at five depths (0.2 m, 0.4 m, 0.8 m, 1.6 m, and 3.2 m) are investigated for the continuous permafrost region of the Russian Arctic, from approximately 115°E-160°E and 60°N-70°N. These in situ measurements are based on station records from 37 sites, dating as far back as 1915 and extending through 2000. However, the 1960-1996 period is more reliable, and is thus the focus of this investigation. We find that across all depths, on an annual basis permafrost temperatures have been experiencing a statistically significant increase, with greatest changes near the surface (0.6°C/decade) and the smallest change at 3.2 m (0.3°C/decade). On a seasonal basis, changes are greatest during winter (0.2 to 1.3°C/decade), followed by spring, then summer, and the smallest temperature changes are observed during autumn. We next evaluate the degree to which these changes are driven by air temperature, snow depth, as well as warm-season precipitation. During winter, permafrost temperature increases are driven by snow cover and air temperature, while summer increases are related to air temperature and perhaps precipitation. Cold-season permafrost temperature increases are therefore partly due to the insulating effects of increased snow depths in northeastern Siberia, while the warm-season permafrost temperature increases illustrate the importance of air temperature, as well as soil moisture. However, part of the summer time changes are likely also due to soil "memory" effects, related to the higher winter permafrost temperatures.
adsabs.harvard.edu
You already know, I'm sure,that melting permafrost not only adversely effects the working season for the oil companies, but also sets up positive feedback loops for CO2 and CH4.
I'm sure you also know 4 degrees C means 7.2 degrees F. |
