Alaska Paleoclimate and Modern Climate Normals at 60m Resolution

Two 30-year climate normal data products for the Last Glacial Maximum (~18,000 years ago) and a modern period (1975-2005) covering Alaska. The dataset includes monthly and annual averages for variables like temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration at resolutions from 60 meters to 12 kilometers. Data was derived by topographically downscaling general circulation model outputs combined with local station data and digital surface models.

Use Cases

• Modeling historical climate change impacts based on high-resolution paleoclimate and modern data.
• Comparing glacial maximum and modern hydrological cycles based on precipitation, evapotranspiration, and water deficit variables.
• Analyzing spatial climate patterns across Alaska based on multi-resolution annual summary data.
• Studying surface energy balance based on modeled total surface radiation data.

Strengths

• Provides a direct comparison between two distinct 30-year periods: the Last Glacial Maximum and 1975-2005.
• Offers high spatial detail with a baseline resolution of 60 meters for monthly data.
• Includes a modeled suite of hydrological and energy variables such as actual evapotranspiration and water deficit.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

aws_open_data

Collection Method

Data derived by topographically downscaling general circulation model outputs combined with local weather station data and digital surface models.

Time Range

Last Glacial Maximum (~18,000 years ago) and modern period (1975-2005)

Freshness

unknown

Geography

State of Alaska