ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR MEASUREMENTS ON THE GREENLAND ICE CAP.

• Main Author: Robinson,Elmer
• Other Authors: STANFORD RESEARCH INST MENLO PARK CALIF
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1965
• Subjects: Meteorology; *WATER VAPOR; GREENLAND; ARCTIC REGIONS; Arctic; Greenland; Ice cap
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0625771; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0625771

Observations of ice cap humidity profiles were made over two periods of approximately one month each during the summers of 1964 and 1965 at Camp Century, Greenland. The Karl Fischer technique used for these observations gives a value of the total water vapor concentration integrated over a sampling period of up to 10 minutes. The accuracy of the system is 2 to 3%. The humidity profiles were obtained from the surface up to a height of 183 ft using the meteorological tower previously erected at Camp Century. Within the sampled layer, the humidity profile showed considerable change both on a day to day basis and on a diurnal cycle during a given day. The humidity profile was apparently tied in quite closely with the radiation balance of the snow surface. During storms and overcast conditions humidity conditions tended to be more uniform both in time and through the sampled layer. During situations with supercooled water fog, conditions tended to be supersaturated with respect to an ice or snow surface but not relative to a water surface. However, the number of fog situations observed were too few to justify any definitive conclusions. (Author)