In the Arctic, gage-based measurements of precipitation contain significant systematic biases. These biases
include wind-induced undercatch and, to a much lesser extent, wetting and evaporative losses. In addition,
trace amounts of precipitation are not included in daily precipitation totals even though they can contribute
significantly to precipitation totals in dry locations in the high latitudes. Therefore, gage-based measurements
of precipitation in the Arctic substantially underestimate the actual (true) precipitation. Accurate Arctic
precipitation data are required to realistically simulate runoff from Arctic watersheds and model the global
water balance. This study addresses the need for accurate Arctic precipitation data by applying the bias
corrections that have been developed from experimental studies (e.g., Larson and Peck, 1974; Goodison,
1978, 1981; Sevruk, 1982; Groisman et al., 1991) to gage-based measurements of precipitation.


Tretyakov Gage at Barrow, Alaska










Center for Climatic Research
University of Delaware
227 Pearson Hall
Newark, Delaware 19716-2541
Ph: (302) 831-4920, Fax: (302) 831-6654
Water and Environmental Research Center
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
306 Tanana Drive, Duckering Room 437
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-5860
Ph: (907) 474-2757, Fax: (907) 474-7979


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