Reference
Curtis, J., Wendler, G., Stone, R. and Dutton, E. 1998. Precipitation decrease in the western Arctic, with special emphasis on Barrow and Barter Island, Alaska. International Journal of Climatology 18: 1687-1707.
What was done
The authors examined a number of climatic variables at two first-order weather stations in the Arctic since 1949.
What was learned
The frequency and mean intensity of precipitation, as well as the amount of total cloud cover, at these two locations decreased over the period of investigation. Contemporaneously, temperatures in the western Arctic, according to the authors, "have increased, but the observed mean increase varies strongly from month-to-month making it difficult to explain the annual trend solely on the basis of an anthropogenic effect resulting from the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." No significant trends were reported in sea level pressure, but the variability of atmospheric pressure showed a decrease with time, "suggesting that either the intensity and/or frequency of cyclones has decreased."
What it means
The authors note that the general assumption that "increased temperature leads to high precipitation ... is not valid" for the stations they studied. The increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation trend results presented in this paper thus provide further Evidence of our Ignorance of the many important physical processes and feedback mechanisms that are responsible for driving regional and global climate change.
Reviewed 15 February 1999