tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572286363399496963.post7973254913666900749..comments2024-03-28T07:09:59.093-08:00Comments on Deep Cold: Alaska Weather & Climate: Windless Winter - More DetailsRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03946704894714514716noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572286363399496963.post-60115682261735637232015-02-15T18:12:27.214-09:002015-02-15T18:12:27.214-09:00Blue haze and smog covered Fairbanks today despite...Blue haze and smog covered Fairbanks today despite the warmth (+12F). I've never seen it this bad while looking down from the hills surrounding town on a drive. Tomorrow starts a brief regime change with several short waves moving this way. Wind, wet, and warmer for several days. <br /><br />GaryNL7Yhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15874712728971005352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572286363399496963.post-23634959200257108462015-02-13T08:47:27.973-09:002015-02-13T08:47:27.973-09:00I agree that the 1000' or so shouldn't mak...I agree that the 1000' or so shouldn't make a difference. And the few years before 1951 shown in the graphs suggest that the variability is so high that it would be difficult to see any difference anyway.<br /><br />Since a moving station is effectively ruled out and there hasn't been any huge changes man-made structure wise (except that the airport has gotten a little bigger; there's a few interesting high altitude pictures you can find on the internet), then the interesting behavior of the wind speeds per height and wind direction since 1989 is probably a real phenomenon. It would be fascinating to see what has caused this.Eric Lundellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17914784378747801359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572286363399496963.post-80318514666680788732015-02-13T05:48:31.852-09:002015-02-13T05:48:31.852-09:00Eric, good questions. The sounding metadata suppl...Eric, good questions. The sounding metadata supplies a location close to S Cushman St prior to Aug 22, 1951, but from that time to the present the location is given as 64.82N 147.87W which matches the current AP#2 location. In previous discussion (http://ak-wx.blogspot.com/2014/06/fairbanks-airport-temperatures.html) we noted that the weather observers were located in the old tower from 1952-1997, so the balloons might have been released from an adjacent spot rather than the current site across the road; but these two locations would be only 1000-1500 feet apart. Surface temperatures and wind could certainly differ, but differences aloft should be rather small.<br /><br />I am sure topography and drainage patterns have a profound influence on the results, but it's hard to pin down the details without looking at high-density observations or using a suitable modeling program.<br />Richard Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08313902028896263276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572286363399496963.post-14242940816949297672015-02-12T19:56:00.264-09:002015-02-12T19:56:00.264-09:00Haven't the balloon takeoff points been at dif...Haven't the balloon takeoff points been at different places during the data period? How would topography affect the results? I also wonder if there is some interaction between the Tanana and Chena river. Both have drainage like all rivers and might setup a gradient thus low winds between the two since both are relatively close to the balloon release.Eric Lundellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17914784378747801359noreply@blogger.com