Assessment of Alaska Rain-on-Snow Events Using Dynamical Downscaling

• DOI: 10.1175/jamc-d-17-0276.1
• Publication Date: 2018-06-28T19:42:11Z
• Authors: Peter A. Bieniek; Uma S. Bhatt; John E. Walsh; Rick Lader; Brad Griffith; Jennifer K. Roach; Richard L. Thoman
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Abstract The ice formed by cold-season rainfall or rain on snow (ROS) has striking impacts the economy and ecology of Alaska. An understanding atmospheric drivers ROS events is required to better predict them plan for environmental change. spatially/temporally sparse network stations in Alaska makes studying such challenging, gridded reanalysis remote sensing products are necessary fill gaps. Recently developed dynamically downscaled climate data provide a new suite high-resolution variables investigating historical projected across all from 1979 2100. ERA-Interim replicated seasonal patterns but tended produce more than station observations. However, dynamical downscaling reduced bias toward coarse reanalysis. occurred most frequently over southwestern southern coastal regions. Extreme with heaviest generally coincided anomalous high pressure centered south/southeast locations receiving event warm-air advection resulting southwesterly wind flow. were increase frequency overall extremes region expected decline southwestern/southern Increases as result frequent winter rainfall, number may ultimately some areas temperatures rising above freezing threshold. These changes can significantly affect wildlife, vegetation, human activities landscape.