A Statistical Overview of the Spatial Atmospheric Variability Over Isfjorden, Svalbard

• Main Author: Agnes, Stenlund
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Luft-, vatten- och landskapslära 2022
• Subjects: meteorologi; atmosfärsvetenskap; mikroklimat; Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences; Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning; Sassenfjorden; Svalbard; Isfjord*; Isfjorden; Sassenfjord*
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-488105

The atmospheric spatial variability over Isfjorden, Svalbard, was investigated through statistical data analysis. The data used in the thesis was measured by mobile weather stations installed on three ships crossing the fjord, and two stationary weather stations close to the shoreline, during the autumn of 2021 and spring to autumn 2022. The spatial distributions of temperature, specific humidity, and wind speed were filtered into categories of season, ambient wind direction, and ambient wind speed, before they were studied. Gradients in temperature and humidity are re-occurring patterns along the Isfjorden axis during various seasons and wind directions. The temperature gradient was found to be partly generated by local drainage winds and further to be connected to the difference between air and sea surface temperature. The humidity gradient was consistent across all seasons and predominantly controlled by advection and differences in available water from surrounding land surfaces. A peak in wind speed around the mouth of Sassenfjorden indicated forced channeling effects, as the pattern dominated when the ambient wind aligned with the axis of the fjord. The results indicate local processes that can be expected from previous research.