Regional Hydroclimate Project:
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Other
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ARM NSA
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C2 Atqasuk
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Name: Raymond McCord
Affiliation:
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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Building 1507
PO Box 2008, MS 6407
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6407
Telephone: (865) 574-7827
Fax: (865) 574-4665
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Latitude: 70.47180
Longitude: -157.40660
Elevation: 20 m
NSA Regional Map (click for full resolution):
NSA Area Map (click for full resolution):
Google Earth .kmz file of Other NSA Reference Site stations and radiosonde sites
Station Description:
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General Description:
The North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site is providing data about cloud and radiative processes at high latitudes. These data are being used to refine models and parameterizations as they relate to the Arctic.
The Atqasuk facility, which is part of the larger ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF) North Slope of Alaska site, was installed the summer of 1999 off of a road near the Atqasuk Airport. Located approximately 70 miles south of Barrow, Atqasuk is adjacent to the Meade River.
Station Operator:
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US Department of Energy
Vegetation and Land Use:
Other NSA Atqasuk Aerial View (click for full resolution):
Dominant land cover at the measurement location: No information.
Canopy height: No information.
Density of Canopy: No information.
Land cover within 50 m of site: No information.
Land cover within 500 m of site: No information.
Land cover within 12 km of site: No information.
Seasonal land cover changes: No information.
Major changes in land cover at site from October 2002 to December 2004: No information.
Slope at the site: No information.
Aspect at the site: No information.
Other notes: None
Soil Type and Characterization:
Surface soil type: No information.
Soil type in deeper layers: No information.
Surface soil porosity: No information.
Soil porosity in deeper layers: No information.
Soil infiltration rate: No information.
Bulk Dry Density: No information.
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: No information.
The Soil Reference Group(s) (from World Reference Base for Soil Resources): No information.
Climate:
Atqasuk's climate is much more continental than that of Barrow.
Atqasuk, AK in the summer temperatures tend to be in the 30's and in the winter temperatures tend to be in the -10's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 46.50 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is February with an average minimum temperature of -9.99 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 11 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 12 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at Atqasuk is 4.16 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is August with an average rainfall of 1.04 Inches.
The climate is arctic. The daily minimum temperature drops below freezing 300 days a year. Temperature extremes range from a low of -56 to a high of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation is light, at 5 inches per year. Snowfall averages 22 inches per year.
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SURFACE METEOROLOGY AND RADIATION INSTRUMENTATION AND DESCRIPTION:
- Station pressure - 1 m - Vaisala PTB220 digital barometer
- Air Temperature - 2 m - Vaisala HMP45D
- Dew point - 2 m - derived.
- Relative humidity - 2 m - Vaisala HMP45D
- Specific humidity - 2 m - derived.
- Wind speed - 10 m - Vaisala WAA251 cup anemometer
- Wind direction - 10 m - Vaisala WAV151 wind vane with heated shaft.
- U wind component - 10 m derived.
- V wind component - 10 m derived.
- Precipitation - 2 m - Vaisala FD12P present weather sensor (PWS).
- Snow depth - 2 m unspecied instrumentation.
- Incoming shortwave radiation - measured; height and instrumentation not provided.
- Outgoing shortwave radiation - measured; height and instrumentation not provided.
- Incoming longwave radiation - measured; height and instrumentation not provided.
- Outgoing longwave radiation - measured; height and instrumentation not provided.
- Net radiation derived; height not provided.
- Skin temperature - measured; height and instrumentation not provided.
- Incoming Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) - Not measured.
- Outgoing Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) - Not measured.
Note: The surface meteorological instrumentation used changed on 6 November 2003. The descriptions above are for the current instrumentation. The radiation instrumentation has remained the same.
NSA Atqasuk Radiation Instruments (click for full resolution):
- Station pressure - 1 m - Vaisala PTB220 digital barometer
- Air Temperature - 2 and 5 m - Vaisala HMP45D
- Dew point - 2 and 5 m - derived.
- Relative humidity - 2 and 5 m - Vaisala HMP45D
- Specific humidity - 2 m - derived.
- Wind speed - 10 m - Vaisala WAA251 cup anemometer
- Wind direction - 10 m - Vaisala WAV151 wind vane with heated shaft.
- U wind component - 10 m derived.
- V wind component - 10 m derived.
Note: The meteorological tower instrumentation used changed on 6 November 2003. The descriptions above are for the current instrumentation.
NSA Atqasuk Tower (click for full resolution):
METEOROLOGICAL TOWER INSTRUMENTATION AND DESCRIPTION:
FLUX INSTRUMENTATION AND DESCRIPTION:
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No data of this type available at this station.
SOIL INSTRUMENTATION AND DESCRIPTION:
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No data of this type available at this station.
RADIOSONDE INSTRUMENTATION AND DESCRIPTION:
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No data of this type available at this station.
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Web:
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None provided.
Literature:
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None provided.
- GAPP Reference Site Status (10 March 2004; Irvine, California, USA)
- The USA, GAPP and CEOP (2 April 2003; Berlin, Germany)