Observed and Modeled Relationships Among Arctic Climate Variables

Relationships among climate variables involved in energy and hydrologic budgets are examined for the Arctic region using general circulation model output, satellite retrievals, and in-situ observations. Variables of surface temperature, total cloud fraction, downward longwave radiation are selected to apply the analysis. The in-situ measurements sites - SHEBA camp are chosen for this study. Each variable from the model output has a smaller range of daily variability than the observations have. In general, however, the model is consistent with observations. The model's annual cycles for each of the variables are consistent with satellite retrievals, except for clouds. This is partly because the definitions of cloud for each data set are different. The relationships involving downward longwave radiation are examined extensively. DLW is closely related to total cloud fraction and surface temperature both in the model output and in-situ measurements. The results suggest that the model's representation of relationships among these parameters are realistic. The implications of these relationships on climate feedbacks in the Arctic region is discussed.