Surface climatology of the Greenland Ice Sheet: Greenland Climate Network 1995–1999

作者：Konrad Steffen, J.E. Box · 发表于：Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · 年份：2001 · DOI：10.1029/2001jd900161 · 被引用次数：445 · 研究领域：Cryospheric studies and observations、Climate variability and models、Climate change and permafrost

The Greenland climate network has currently 18 automatic weather stations (AWS) distributed in most climate regions of the ice sheet. The present network captures well the regional climates and their differences in the accumulation region of the ice sheet. An annual mean latitudinal temperature gradient of −0.78°C/1° latitude was derived from the AWS data for the western slope of the ice sheet, and an annual mean latitudinal temperature gradient of −0.82°C/1° latitude was derived for the eastern slope. The mean annual lapse rate along the surface slope is 0.71°C/100 m, with monthly mean lapse rates varying between 0.4°C/100 m in summer and 1.0°C/100 m in winter. The annual range of monthly mean temperatures is between 23.5°C and 30.3°C for the western slope of the ice sheet, with increasing ranges from south to north and with increase in elevation. The annual mean air temperature was found to be 2°C warmer for the central part of Greenland for the time period 1995–1999, as compared to the standard decade 1951–1960. This annual mean temperature change decreased to approximately 1°C for the elevation 1000–2000 m, whereas at lower elevations, no AWS data are available with sufficient spatial and temporal coverage to verify any temperature trend. Firn temperatures (10‐m depth) at high‐elevation sites were found to be colder than the mean annual air temperature of the preceding year for the central part and northern Greenland by as much as 2.5°C. In the percolation zone and at the...