The coldest area last week was the north-central interior, with the Norutak Lake RAWS reaching -40° or colder for 8 consecutive days ending yesterday. The coldest conditions have now shifted to the northeast, with the Chalkyitsik RAWS sitting at -48°F this evening and apparently on track to break -50°F tonight. Last winter no station in Alaska quite reached -50°F, although the Kanuti Lake RAWS got very close.
Environment Canada's surface chart from yesterday afternoon showed strong high pressure over northeastern Alaska, and the Fairbanks sounding measured a cold column with 850mb temperatures well below -20°C. However, strong warming has been occurring aloft in the past 24 hours as the high pressure produces subsidence; note the difference between the two soundings below (3pm yesterday and 3pm today).
The 1.5-meter temperature measurements from UAF's Poker Flat Research Range show the warm-up nicely; this morning the temperature jumped from -28°F to -7°F in only half an hour. The Poker Flat site is located near Chatanika on the Steese Highway north of Fairbanks at an elevation of about 700 feet above sea level.
Slight daily NE breeze and Tanana Jet to the rescue! Furnace exhaust was flattened out and the view of town (http://old.co.fairbanks.ak.us/airquality/CRCurrentPhoto.jpg) showed the big coal-fired power plant exhaust moving away to the SW.
ReplyDeleteNow to find a way to put up a few wind turbines and power them up to destroy the inversion.
Gary
A little wind goes a long way, doesn't it?
DeleteI wonder if artificially eliminating episodes of deep cold would harm the permafrost - how much does occasional severe cold contribute to its survival? The annual mean temperature may be low enough to allow permafrost even if -30s and lower are forbidden.
We're talking about the local Fairbanks bowl that's surrounded by hills and subject to a river flood plane water table. I doubt there's that much permafrost...but no doubt there's some in solar sheltered un-insolated insulated spots.
DeleteIf a 5 mph breeze will raise local fairbanks temps and eliminate local health problems associated with poor air quality caused by extreme inversions, then I believe it's worth the cost versus so far unsolved solutions to the air quality problem. It can affect health.
It'll never go away and living to the hills above the inversion only eliminates the personal issue for part of the day.
Gary
I would add that you can have -30 and colder without extreme inversions. It would be interesting to see how important inversions are for -40.
DeleteAlso, more practically, the only way to really produce artificial wind is ultimately through electricity. How much would that cost? I guarantee that the air pollution created by the huge fans or turbines would be more than the stale inverted air currently holds. I still like the idea of figuring out if artificial wind would help. How fast should be the wind? Where do you place and what kind are the wind generators? As mentioned, what effect do inversions have on the permafrost? There isn't much permafrost on the sun-facing areas around Fairbanks. But there is some in the Chena Hills area, up near the university, and in Goldstream Valley.
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DeleteGood comments Eric. I expect an electrical source would be non-polluting except for the extra demand on power producing sources. Federal and State funding may be available for a feasibility study on a small scale.
DeleteBut the big issue here isn't just temperature moderation, it's diluting or deporting existing pollutants in the Fairbanks-North Pole bowl. There's three coal fired power plants (and a replacement being built at UAF). There are other sources. Without a means of removing the particulates the bowl will continue to exceed EPA and reasonable standards of health during episodes of inversion.
There may be other options but after experiencing what a 5 mph breeze can do this last week to potentially -40F temps, ice fog, and pollution I'm convinced that it can work.
What can create the wind is a matter for another discussion.
Gary
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DeleteI used to live in Fairbanks, and suffered with asthma during the cold air pollution days, so I really can sympathize with wanting to mitigate the air quality. Have you heard about all the measures that Paris is taking this winter? They swap even and odd days with even and odd last digits in your license plate number for when a household can drive, they have temporarily made public transportation free, they have banned older model cars, and are even considering banning the use of diesel powered vehicles. Where my family lives in Logan, UT they are barred from using their fireplace or woodstoves during periods of inversions. As I see it, the problem with Fairbanks mitigating their air quality, is that the predominant sentiment in the community is to avoid regulation of any kind. Just contact Tammy Wilson's office for her sentiments on the topic.
DeleteGary - along the lines of "other options", take a look at this:
Deletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-38285567
Thank you Richard for the info link. Jet engines...at least worth an evaluation. Unless we experiment we'll never learn.
DeleteToday there's air quality alerts in North Pole (Stage 3) and Fairbanks (Stage 2). Not acceptable. Some is inversion-oriented and the rest plain pollution.
Tracy's comments above are correct and helpful. Most vehicles are cleaner than previously. Wood fired appliances are being upgraded. It's easier to herd cats than some people.
However the elephant in the area may be a lack of periodic maintenance and emission compliance for home oil-fired furnaces. For now I suggest offering a property tax incentive or similar carrot to encourage clean burning appliances. They rarely get serviced unless a problem occurs.
Gary
I haven't seen any synopsis for November weather data for Fairbanks yet, but it sounds like the early half of November was above average, and the later half was below average. Curiously enough, the meager Interior snow pack started to grow in the colder half of the month.
ReplyDeleteCorrect. Fairbanks was warmer than normal every day through the 17th then colder than normal every day but one for the rest of the month; the month as a whole was close to normal. Typically the 2nd half of November is 7F colder than the 1st half; this year it was 19F colder; the record is 43F colder! (1948)
ReplyDeleteYes, interesting to see snow finally show up during a cold spell. Perhaps we can say goodbye to warm and dry for a while.