NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Spring Snow Melt Timing and Changes over Arctic LandsSpring snow cover over Arctic lands has, on average, melted approximately 4-7 days earlier since the late 1980s compared to the previous 20 years. The earlier disappearance of snow has been identified in non-mountainous regions at the 60 deg and 70 deg N parallels over Eurasia and North America using visible satellite observations of continental snow cover extent (SCE) mapped by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The change was greater in the farthest north continental locations. Northern hemisphere SCE declined by almost 10% (May) to 20% (June) between the two intervals. At latitude 70 deg N, eight segments of longitude (each 10 deg in width) show significant (negative) trends. However, only two longitudinal segments at 60 deg N show significant trends, (one positive and one negative). SCE changes coincide with increasing spring warmth and the earlier diminution of sea ice in the last several decades. However, while sea ice has continued to decrease during this recent interval, snowmelt dates in the Arctic changed in a step-like fashion during the mid to late 1980s and have remained much the same since that time.
Document ID
20080023366
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Foster, J. L.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Robinson, D. A.
(Rutgers Univ. NJ, United States)
Hall, D. K.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Estilow, T. W.
(Rutgers Univ. NJ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2006
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: EA133E05SE6044
CONTRACT_GRANT: NA040AR4310170
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available