Seasonal And Annual Variability Of Svalbard Cloud Cover

Abstract

This study is focused on the seasonal and inter-annual variability of total cloud cover in the Svalbard and a comparative analysis of data obtained from three meteorological stations with the ERA5 reanalysis data. The results show that the amount of total cloud cover increases in summer, but the reanalysis data do not agree with the observations. Reanalysis overestimates the results compare to observations for cloudy sky conditions and the inconsistency decreases in summer. For clear sky cases it is an underestimation of reanalysis for all seasons except summer. A comparison of inter-annual cloud cover values ​​also show inconsistency between the observations and reanalysis. The overestimation of cloudy sky conditions and the underestimation of clear sky conditions are revealed for reanalysis. The latitudinal dependence of the amount of total cloud cover is not revealed.

Keywords

• arctic
• cloud cover
• reanalysis
• era5
• svalbard