Climate, Snow Cover, Microclimate, and Hydrology 47 



40 1 — I — I — |— 1 — I — I — I — I — I — I — I — |— I — I — I — r 



FIGURE 2-10. Mean ( — ), maximum (h.) and minimum (^) incoming 

 shortwave solar radiation for five-day intervals over the coastal tundra at 

 Barrow. The data are based on 1962 and 1964-66 from Kelley et al. 

 (1964), Lieske and Stroschein (1968), Weaver (1969, 1970), Maykut and 

 Church (1973), and LeDrew and Weller (1978). 



determining the surface climate is the large annual variation in albedo 

 that coincides with the establishment and decay of the annual snow 

 cover. Winter albedo values are 80*^0 to 90%, depending on variations in 

 the character of the snow surface caused by fresh snowfalls and wind- 

 packing. Albedo decreases in early June as a result of the progressively 

 thinning snowpack and the appearance of bare patches (Weller and 

 Holmgren 1974a), and drops to approximately 15% within a week or so 



