Quixotic1 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Was curious to know how the current cold snap in AK was formed. I haven't looked recently but not too long ago the snow cover was looking a little sparse which seems to preclude any "homegrown" air mass. The ridiculously cold temps appears to indicate cross polar transport. So, how and where was the formation of the air mass brought about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlehurricane Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Was curious to know how the current cold snap in AK was formed. I haven't looked recently but not too long ago the snow cover was looking a little sparse which seems to preclude any "homegrown" air mass. The ridiculously cold temps appears to indicate cross polar transport. So, how and where was the formation of the air mass brought about? The only way to get temperatures as cold as those seen during the recent AK cold snap (-40 °C and colder) is radiational cooling. Radiational cooling is simply when the heat from the ground escapes to space, cooling the ground and the air in contact with it. There is indeed solid snowcover in AK, and combined with the low to nill sun angle, and a high pressure system (keeping winds light) you get extreme radiational cooling. Cross polar transport wouldn't yield such cold temps, if the wind was blowing enough to get the air from Russia to AK it would mix out the cold layer near the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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