Climate and energy balance on the arctic tundra

Energy balance measurement on the arctic tundra on the midwest coast of Axel Heiberg Island, N.W.T., Canada, is summarized. The methods and the instruments as well as their difficulties in the arctic field conditions are described. The seasonal characteristics of the energy balance are presented for the dry snow, the melt and the postmelt periods. The diurnal variations of the energy balance for each of these periods are also presented. The climatic differences for the regions of the tundra, glaciers and the arctic seas become prominent during the three summer months of June, July and August. The energy balance at the present site is compared with that of Barrow, Alaska, revealing a high degree of similarity. The slight differences between them are more net radiation, more sensible and latent heat fluxes, larger Bowen ratio and less soil heat flux at Barrow. These differences are considered to be due to the larger distance of the present station from the coast. The energy balance on and in the dry snow cover is investigated. The stability of the snow cover is attributed to the high reflectivity as well as to the large absorptivity of its surface with respect to solar radiation. The absorption occurs mainly at the surface of the snow cover rather than its interior. This condition facilitates the efficient removal of the absorbed energy from the surface by the atmosphere. The energy balance on the tundra is compared with those on the Central Arctic Ocean, the ablation area of the polar glaciers, the accumulation area of the glaciers and the boreal forests. The surfaces of the tundra, ablation area of the glaciers and the Central Arctic Ocean are found to receive similar net radiation, despite the albedo differences. The fundamental difference among these surfaces is the magnitude of the latent heat of melt. This component on the ablation area of the glaciers and the Central Arctic Ocean is four to six times larger than on the tundra, which results in differential heating and evaporation in these regions. This difference is considered to be the basis of the milder climate in the tundra region in the Arctic. More substantial differences are found between these low altitude arctic surfaces and the accumulation areas of the glaciers and the boreal forests. The differences are due to the large variation in albedo for the former and to the difference in global radiation for the latter. These differences ultimately regulate the regional variations in net radiation, sensible and latent heat fluxes.