THE CLIMATOLOGY OF THE ARCTIC SLOPE OF ALASKA, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING CLIMATOLOGICAL ESTIMATES FROM THE DISTRIBUTION OF VEGETATION

• Main Author: Conover, John H.
• Other Authors: BOSTON UNIV MA PHYSICAL RESEARCH LABS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1953
• Subjects: Meteorology; *VEGETATION; *ALASKA; *CLIMATE; MOISTURE CONTENT; DEPTH; PRECIPITATION; SOILS; DRIFT; SNOW; ARCTIC OCEAN; SNOW COVER; WIND DIRECTION; FROST; AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS; CLOUD COVER; SUMMER; SEASONS; TOPOGRAPHY; LIGHT; COASTAL REGIONS; WINTER; NORTH SLOPE(ALASKA); Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Brooks Range; north slope; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0013957; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0013957

The region is bordered on the north by the Arctic Sea and on the south by the Brooks range (about 5000 ft high). The general climatic conditions during the growing season include light but frequent precipitation, moderate temperate, high RH, and much cloudiness. The light winter snowfall drifts continually and tends to leave the hummocks exposed while the vegetation on the sides of depressions remain protected. The macroclimate of the Umiat area in summer and winter should be similar to areas of the USSR that have the same topographical orientation. Preliminary analysis of data suggested that only a few microclimatic elements, such as prevailing wind direction during the growing season and average depth of snow cover in the fall at specific exposures exposures, can be determined directly from aerial photographs. The vegetation forms in most areas were concluded to be influenced by the frost action and soil moisture content. recommendations are mode for improving the techniques of gathering data.