Annual climate summary 2014: Arctic Network

Hill, Ken; Sousanes, Pamela

The Arctic Network’s (ARCN) climate monitoring program has established seventeen remote weather stations to monitor climate in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Noatak National Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. The main goal of the program is to operate these remote sites for the long term in order to help scientists and park managers understand the climate patterns across these large parks. There are three weather and climate stations (in the villages of Bettles, Kotzebue, and Nome, Alaska) near the parks operated by various state and federal agencies that are used as index sites to compare current climate conditions in the region to the climatological normal—the average weather conditions over a 30-year period. The current normal period is 1981-2010. This report summarizes the annual and monthly temperature and precipitation deviations for the index sites and compiles monthly and annual statistics for the sites with shorter records, including six additional fire weather stations, four SNOTEL stations, and one airport weather site located in or near park boundaries. A brief synopsis of regional, national, and global climate conditions for 2014 is included for climatic context. The Arctic Alaska region was much warmer than the 1981-2010 normal in 2014. The mean annual air temperatures of 28.4°F in Kotzebue and 31.6°F in Nome were the warmest years on record. 2014 was the 5th warmest year on record in Bettles. Annual precipitation totals at the ARCN index sites varied from 85% of normal in Kotzebue to 117% of normal at Bettles. Bettles recorded 17.45 inches for the year, Kotzebue had 9.61 inches (87% of normal) and Nome received 14.21 inches (85% of normal). Average annual temperatures in 2014 mask the temporal variability experienced at most locations including a very warm January, a cool period in June and July, and a much warmer than normal fall season. The average annual temperature for Alaska was 4.0°F above the 1981-2000 average making 2014 the warmest year on record. Precipitation statewide was just above average and ranked as the 52nd wettest year on record. Monthly variability was high, however, with a wet January, dry spring, and very wet summer (the third wettest on record for the state). Nationally, the average annual temperature for the contiguous U.S. for 2014 was 52.6°F, 0.5°F above the 20th century average. It was the 34th warmest year over the 120-year record. Globally, 2014 was the warmest year on record since records began in 1880. Over land and ocean combined, 2014 was 1.2°F above the 20th century average of 57.0°F. Between May and September of 2013, the Arctic Network staff performed annual site maintenance at the sixteen network weather stations, two fire weather stations and one Natural Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL station. The Kugururok site in Noatak National Preserve was installed in July, 2014.

Annual climate summary 2014: Arctic Network

Series

See also

Collections