Sponsor
This research was supported by the Office of Polar Programs (NSF Grant 1637708). Logistical support was provided by the U.S. Antarctic Program through funding from NSF.
Published In
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2020
Subjects
Climate -- Antarctica -- McMurdo Dry Valleys, Geophysics -- Research -- Antarctica, Meteorology -- Antarctica -- Observations -- 1986-2017
Abstract
The weather of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, the largest ice‐free region of the Antarctica, has been continuously monitored since 1985 with currently 14 operational meteorological stations distributed throughout the valleys. Because climate is based on a 30‐year record of weather, this is the first study to truly define the contemporary climate of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Mean air temperature and solar radiation based on all stations were −20°C and 102 Wm−2, respectively. Depending on the site location, the mean annual air temperatures on the valleys floors ranged between −15°C and −30°C, and mean annual solar radiation varied between 72 and 122 Wm−2. Surface air temperature decreased by 0.7°C per decade from 1986 to 2006 at Lake Hoare station (longest continuous record), after which the record is highly variable with no trend. All stations with sufficiently long records showed similar trend shifts in 2005 ±1 year. Summer is defined as November through February, using a physically based process: up‐valley warming from the coast associated with a change in atmospheric stability.
DOI
10.1029/2019JD032180
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/34065
Citation Details
Obryk, M. K., Doran, P. T., Fountain, A. G., Myers, M., & McKay, C. P. (2020). Climate from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986–2017: Surface air temperature trends and redefined summer season. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 125, e2019JD032180. https://doi.org/ 10.1029/2019JD032180
Description
©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.