C53A-0763
Linkages between Icelandic Low position and SE Greenland winter precipitation
Friday, 18 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Mira Berdahl1, Asa K Rennermalm2, Arno C Hammann3, John Mioduszewski3, Sultan Hameed4, Marco Tedesco5,6, Julienne Christine Stroeve7,8 and Thomas L Mote9, (1)Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States, (2)Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ, United States, (3)Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States, (4)State Univ New York StonyBrook, Stony Brook, NY, United States, (5)CUNY City College of New York, New York, NY, United States, (6)CUNY Graduate School and University Center, New York, NY, United States, (7)National Snow and Ice Data Center, CIRES University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States, (8)Center for Polar Observation and Modelling, London, United Kingdom, (9)University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
Abstract:
Greenland’s largest flux of precipitation occurs in its Southeast (SE) region. An understanding of the mechanisms controlling precipitation in this region is lacking despite its disproportionate importance in the mass balance of Greenland and the consequent contributions to sea level rise. We use weather station data from the Danish Meteorological Institute to reveal the governing influences on precipitation in SE Greenland during the winter and fall. We find that precipitation in the fall is significantly correlated to the longitude of the Icelandic Low and the NAO. Winter precipitation is correlated with the strength and longitude of the Icelandic Low, as well as the NAO. We show that in years of extreme high precipitation, onshore winds dominate, thereby advecting more moisture inland. In low precipitation years, winds are more westerly, approaching the stations from land. Understanding the controls of SE Greenland precipitation will help us predict how future precipitation in this key region may change in a warming climate.
