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The influence of natural conditions on the spatial variation of climate in Lapland, northern Finland
Author(s) -
Vajda Andrea,
Venäläinen Ari
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
international journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0899-8418
DOI - 10.1002/joc.928
Subject(s) - climatology , latitude , altitude (triangle) , elevation (ballistics) , forcing (mathematics) , environmental science , spatial variability , kriging , physical geography , range (aeronautics) , multivariate interpolation , climate change , geography , geology , oceanography , statistics , materials science , geometry , mathematics , geodesy , composite material , bilinear interpolation
At high latitudes in Lapland, near the climatological timberline, forestry and other environmental research require detailed information about the spatial variation of climate. In this study, the influence of local geographical factors on the climate in northern Finland (Lapland), as well as the applicability of the kriging interpolation method in the case of detailed spatial resolution, were examined. The spatial analysis of mean, maximum, minimum temperatures, length of the frost‐free season, degree‐days and daily range was made using a 1 km × 1 km resolution. The time period used was 1971–2000. We studied whether taking account of external forcing, such as lake coverage and altitude, would improve the accuracy of spatial interpolation of climatological parameters. The geographical factors of coordinates, elevation, lakes and sea influence on the regional features of the climate were examined. According to the results of this study, only geographical position and local relief have a significant influence on regional climate in Lapland. The effect of lakes and sea seems to be secondary. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society