Speirs, Johanna C; Steinhoff, Daniel F; McGowan, Hamish A; Bromwich, David H; Monaghan, Andrew J (2010): (Table 2) Foehn characteristics of station in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.837426, Supplement to: Speirs, JC et al. (2010): Foehn Winds in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: The Origin of Extreme Warming Events. Journal of Climate, 23(13), 3577-3598, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3382.1
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Abstract:
Foehn winds resulting from topographic modification of airflow in the lee of mountain barriers are frequently experienced in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica. Strong foehn winds in the MDVs cause dramatic warming at onset and have significant effects on landscape forming processes; however, no detailed scientific investigation of foehn in the MDVs has been conducted. As a result, they are often misinterpreted as adiabatically warmed katabatic winds draining from the polar plateau. Herein observations from surface weather stations and numerical model output from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) during foehn events in the MDVs are presented. Results show that foehn winds in the MDVs are caused by topographic modification of south-southwesterly airflow, which is channeled into the valleys from higher levels. Modeling of a winter foehn event identifies mountain wave activity similar to that associated with midlatitude foehn winds. These events are found to be caused by strong pressure gradients over the mountain ranges of the MDVs related to synoptic-scale cyclones positioned off the coast of Marie Byrd Land. Analysis of meteorological records for 2006 and 2007 finds an increase of 10% in the frequency of foehn events in 2007 compared to 2006, which corresponds to stronger pressure gradients in the Ross Sea region. It is postulated that the intra- and interannual frequency and intensity of foehn events in the MDVs may therefore vary in response to the position and frequency of cyclones in the Ross Sea region.
Project(s):
Coverage:
Median Latitude: -77.623000 * Median Longitude: 162.503618 * South-bound Latitude: -77.828000 * West-bound Longitude: 160.656800 * North-bound Latitude: -77.378000 * East-bound Longitude: 163.418000
Date/Time Start: 2007-05-21T03:15:00 * Date/Time End: 2007-05-22T17:00:00
Minimum Elevation: 20.0 m * Maximum Elevation: 1176.0 m
Event(s):
Beacon_Valley2 * Latitude: -77.828000 * Longitude: 160.656800 * Elevation: 1176.0 m * Location: McMurdo Dry Valleys, southern Victorica Land, Antarctica * Method/Device: Unmanned weather station/meteorological observation (UWST)
Comment:
Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Event label | Event | ||||
| 2 | Station label | Station | Speirs, Johanna C | weather station | ||
| 3 | DATE/TIME | Date/Time | Geocode | |||
| 4 | Date/time end | Date/time end | Speirs, Johanna C | |||
| 5 | Comment | Comment | Speirs, Johanna C | |||
| 6 | Temperature, air, minimum | TnTnTn | °C | Speirs, Johanna C | pre-foehn | |
| 7 | Temperature, air, maximum | TxTxTx | °C | Speirs, Johanna C | during foehn | |
| 8 | Humidity, relative, minimum | RH min | % | Speirs, Johanna C | during foehn | |
| 9 | Wind direction | dd | deg | Speirs, Johanna C | mean, during foehn | |
| 10 | Wind speed, gust | ff gust | m/s | Speirs, Johanna C | max, during foehn |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-3.0)
Size:
82 data points