Deriving Historical Temperature and Precipitation Time Series For Alaska Climate Divisions Via Climatologically Aided Interpolation

Authors

Russell S. Vose, NOAA National Center for Environmental InformationFollow
Mike Squires, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
Derek Arndt, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
Imke Durre, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
Chris Fenimore, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
Karin Gleason, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
Matthew J. Menne, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
James Partain, NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
Claude N. Williams Jr., NOAA National Center for Environmental Information
Peter A. Bieniek, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Richard L. Thoman, NOAA National Weather Service

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

Journal of Service Climatology Volume 10, Number 1

Comments

Vose et al., 2017.

Abstract

This paper describes the construction of temperature and precipitation time series for climate divisions in Alaska for 1925-2015. Designed for NOAA climate monitoring applications, these new series build upon the divisional data of Bieniek et al. (2014) through the inclusion of additional observing stations, temperature bias adjustments, supplemental temperature elements, and enhanced computational techniques (i.e., climatologically aided interpolation). The new NOAA series are in general agreement with Bieniek et al. (2014), differences being attributable to the underlying methods used to compute divisional averages in each dataset. Trends in minimum temperature are significant in most divisions whereas trends in maximum temperature are generally not significant in the eastern third of the state. Likewise, the statewide rate of warming in minimum temperature (0.158°C dec^-1) is roughly 50% larger than that of maximum temperature (0.101 °C dec^-1). Trends in precipitation are not significant for most divisions or for the state as a whole.