Alaska Paleoclimate Normals for Glacial Maximum and Modern Periods

Two 30-year climate normal products cover the Last Glacial Maximum (~18,000 years ago) and the modern period (1975-2005) for Alaska. The dataset includes monthly and annual averages for temperature, precipitation, radiation, and evapotranspiration variables, derived by topographically downscaling general circulation model outputs with local station data. This NASA-produced dataset provides high-resolution (60 m) and multiple coarser-resolution versions for spatial analysis.

Use Cases

• Comparing glacial maximum and modern temperature (minimum, maximum, average) and precipitation patterns across Alaska.
• Modeling past hydrological cycles using rain, snow, actual evapotranspiration, and water deficit variables.
• Analyzing spatial climate variability at different scales using data at resolutions from 60m to 12km.
• Studying surface energy budgets with total surface radiation data for both time periods.
• Assessing climate-driven ecological constraints using potential evapotranspiration and water deficit metrics.

Strengths

• Provides a direct, high-resolution (60 m) comparison between two distinct 30-year climate periods separated by millennia.
• Includes a wide suite of modeled climate variables (e.g., temperature, precipitation, radiation, evapotranspiration) for both monthly and annual timescales.
• Offers data at multiple spatial resolutions (11 levels from 60m to 12km) facilitating analysis at different scales.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Conflicting metadata: the last updated date is reported as 2026-03-13 on Data.gov but 2005-12-31 on NASA EarthData, creating uncertainty about provenance timeliness.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and exact column structures are not provided by any source.
• The license is listed as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov but is null on NASA EarthData, requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived by topographically downscaling coarse-resolution general circulation model outputs combined with local weather station data and digital surface models.

Time Range

~18,000 years ago (Last Glacial Maximum) to 2005 (modern period).

Freshness

2026-03-13 04:26:28.672591

Geography

Entire state of Alaska.