This report summarizes the hydrological and meteorological data collected from 2003 to 2017 at
7 stations in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska. During an 8-year period, from May 2010
to December 2017, a research team from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Water and
Environmental Research Center, and personnel from the Bureau of Land Management performed
351 discharge measurements and collected and analyzed data on air temperature, rainfall, wind
speed, and wind direction at stations distributed on a southwest–northeast transect from the
foothills of the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean. In general, the air temperature data indicate an
evident warming trend for the entire region. Rainfall data suggest a trend in increasing
precipitation during the summer months from the coastal plain to the foothills, though there are
some exceptions. The overall highest mean monthly wind speed was recorded in February; the
overall lowest mean monthly wind speed varied from station to station. Wind roses indicate two
main wind directions—approximately from the northeast and southwest—with winds from the
northeast predominant at the northern stations and winds from the southwest predominant at the
southern stations.List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv
Acknowledgments and Disclaimer ................................................................................................. v
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vi
CHAPTER 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER 2 Study Area ............................................................................................................. 2
CHAPTER 3 Discharge Measurements ...................................................................................... 3
3.1 Fieldwork ......................................................................................................................... 3
3.2 Data Processing ................................................................................................................ 9
CHAPTER 4 Meteorological Data ............................................................................................ 11
4.1 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 12
4.2 Results ............................................................................................................................ 12
4.2.1 Rainfall .................................................................................................................... 12
4.2.2 Air Temperature ...................................................................................................... 18
4.2.3 Wind ........................................................................................................................ 24
CHAPTER 5 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 37
CHAPTER 6 Conclusions and Recommendations.................................................................... 42
References ..................................................................................................................................... 43
Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 4
