Aspects of Winter Temperatures in Interior Alaska

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Author: Streten, N.A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 1969
• Subjects: Active layer; Creep; Frozen ground; Mass wasting; Permafrost; Plant cover; Plant distribution; Plant-soil relationships; Plants (Biology); Slopes; Ruby Range; Yukon; Arctic; Brooks Range; permafrost; Alaska
• Online Access: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/66282

The interior basin between the climatic divides of the Brooks and Alaska Ranges has extremely low winter temperatures in contrast to the milder regime of both southcentral Alaska and the region on the Arctic Slope of the Brooks Range. There is a cold pole centered on the Yukon flats and extending over the Yukon and Tanana valleys. Two local factors in the occurrence of low winter temperatures are the wide expanse of relatively flat and low-lying surface suited to the development of substantial low level temperature inversions in winter when the radiation balance of the surface is strongly negative; and encirclement by a mountain mass which is effective in preventing the weaker low level synoptic scale weather systems from invading the basin. Large-scale circulation factors associated with extreme years are described. Aspects des températures hivernales en Alaska intérieur. L'auteur décrit les variations des températures mensuelles moyennes hivernales des vallées du Yukon et de la Tanana, en relation avec la topographie de la région. Il identifie les mois de froid extrême et de chaleur extrême à partir des observations recueillies en 66 ans. Pour ces mois extrêmes, les variations thermiques au jour le jour aux différentes stations révèlent l'influence des barrières topographiques sur les tendances au réchauffement. L'auteur décrit enfin les facteurs de circulation à grande échelle qui sont associés aux années extrêmes.