Sunny Greenland

• Published in: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
• Main Author: Scorer, R. S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1988
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; Jan Mayen; Cape Farewell; Davis Strait; Iceland; Scoresbysund; Spitzbergen
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/qj.49711447902; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fqj.49711447902; https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/qj.49711447902

Abstract Greenland is about the same size as the plateau of Tibet. It is, by contrast, a cold source and a complete obstruction to the advance of air at sea level. Air flowing from the ice plateau originates at around plateau level. The general slope towards the north and west causes a katabatic land breeze on the west coast. The so‐called Iceland low in its movements from Cape Farewell more than half way to Spitzbergen causes a prevailing wind from the north or north‐east along the lee coast which drives ice as far as Cape Farewell all year round. The earth's rotation causes the ocean current to turn the cape and occasionally carry ice 100‐200 km up the west coast. But for most of the year the wind is from the north while the salty water moves from the south. When cirrus moves inland it is not accompanied by air at sea level and when air descends from the plateau the flow at cirrus level is usually upslope so that a trail of orographic cirrus leaves the coast. The Iceland low frequently carries warm air across the Faeroes and Jan Mayen to the east coast at Scoresbysund and even to the west of Iceland and at the same time draws arctic air from the Davis Strait across the Atlantic to Britain to form an inverted front on which a row of small cyclones forms. The general picture formed from looking at about nine years of satellite pictures is that the weather goes on around Greenland and is steered by it, but only occasionally penetrates over the plateau and then neither far nor for long. While Spitzbergen, Iceland, and other territories around are some of the cloudiest places on earth, Greenland is a very sunny place, and yet it remains a very significant source of cold.