There are many challenges in detecting precipitation trends in Alaska. The most substantial are the small number of observations, inhomogeneities, differences among gridded data sets, and differentiating between long-term trends and decadal variability. Analyzing both station and regional products will increase our understanding of where local trends in precipitation may differ significantly from regional trends, providing key information for developing better downscaled climate projections. These in turn, will provide insight into fine scale heterogeneity in climate change that may be important in determining the stability of key habitat features, such as wetlands and insect avoidance areas. As a by-product of this study, we will provide an objective quality assessment of precipitation data at a number of stations, complementing the LCC’s planned meteorological station cataloging project. Better definition of trends and stepchanges in precipitation amounts will enhance our understanding of the interactions between theatmospheric circulation patterns driving those trends and the local physiographic conditions . Resolving disagreements about the direction of precipitation change is a critical first step in understanding current observations of drying in the Arctic. In addition to the ancillary benefit of providing quality analysis for precipitation data, this project contributes significantly to our ability to understand recently observed changes in Arctic and boreal ecosystems and better prepare for future changes.
