Michael Duggan asked:
The climate in Alaska is one of extremes, although there are differences across the regions of this country. Most of the country’s population is found in the southern parts of Alaska where weather conditions are less extreme. Summer time is the most favourable, especially for tourists where long moderate days are common. The climate becomes increasingly colder in the northerly regions of Alaska. While the south receives large amounts of precipitation the northern regions experience increasing levels of snowfall due to lower temperatures. The summer also brings longer daylight hours, with the southern most tip of Alaska receiving 18 hours of sunlight in the summer solstice. This increases to 24 hours of daylight above the Arctic Circle. In contrast, winter brings shorter days and even perpetual night in the most northerly parts of the country.
The central and south eastern parts experience the mildest weather conditions; however temperatures can still reach well below -25 C in the winter. The majority of Alaska has a subarctic climate that is characterized by frequent storms as a result of an extratropical storm track running through the Aleutian Island chain. Its proximity to the Bering Sea also brings frequent extreme weather events. The interior of Alaska receives the most extreme weather conditions with the highest (38 C) and lowest (-64 C) temperatures also recorded here. The Western parts of Alaska are heavily influenced by the Bering Sea, resulting in large variances in rainfall within this region. While some locations average over 2500 mm of rain per year, the northern side of the Seward Peninsula receives only 250 mm of rain, resulting in desert like conditions. The Northern parts of Alaska are characterized as arctic, with long cold winters and short cool summers.
Since the 1950s Alaska has experienced a gradual increase in average temperatures and a 30% average increase in precipitation. More recently sea ice has begun to retreat with significant thinning of remaining ice sheets. The melting of permafrost has also resulted in erosion and landslides, damaging infrastructure in southern and central regions of Alaska. These observations support climate change predictions and the affects of global warming.
