Observations of northern latitude ground-surface and surface-air temperatures

Abstract

[1] Note that the magnitude of temperature increases reconstructed from borehole records seems to contrast with some proxy based reconstructions of surface air temperature (SAT) that indicate lower amounts of warming over the same period. We present data suggesting that ground and snow cover may bias climate reconstructions based on BT in portions of the Canadian northwest. Eight sites west of the Canadian cordillera, were examined for long-term SAT and GST changes. At seven of these sites precise borehole temperature profiles are used for the first time since the 1960s, thereby exploring the linkage between GST and SAT. New readings were made at four of these locations. All sites showed significant increasing SAT trends, in terms of annual mean minimum and maximum temperatures. Over a 54 year period, the minimum temperatures increased between 1.1 °C and 1.5°C while the maximum increased between 0.8°C and 1.5°C, among those eight stations. Observations of GST at those sites, however, showed no obvious climate induced perturbations. Therefore, we believe that a trend in our area towards an increase in SAT temperatures only over the winter and spring is being masked by freeze thaw and latent energy effects. These results are important, particularly in northern locations where ground and snow cover may play an important role in creating a seasonal bias in GST reconstructions from borehole surveys. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.