2006 Annual Meeting and Arctic Forum | Abstracts

Dynamical Downscaling Over Alaska and it's Potential Applications

Uma S. Bhatt¹, Jing S. Zhang², Craig S. Lingle³, Wendell Tangborn^4
1Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Drive, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-2662, Fax 907-474-7290, bhatt@gi.alaska.edu
²Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Drive, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA, Phone 907-474-6135, Fax 907-474-6141, jing@rathlin.iarc.uaf.edu
³Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Drive, PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7320, USA, Phone 907-474-7679, Fax 907-474-7290, clingle@asf.alaska.edu
⁴HyMet, Inc., HyMet, Inc., 19001 Vashon Hwy, SW, Suite 201, Vashon, WA, 98070, USA, Phone 206-463-1610, hymetco@centurytel.net

Many applications require gridded climate data of higher resolution than is available from global climate analyses or global climate models. To provide this information, one strategy is to dynamically downscale coarse climate data to higher resolution using a regional climate model, which can resolve the complex topography over Alaska. Results will be presented from a study that uses dynamical downscaling in conjunction with a glacier mass balance model that has been employed to estimate glacier melt in Alaska. Additional uses of dynamically downscaled climate data will be explored.