Jökull - 01.12.1993, Síða 5

.Nordoyan fyr
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J FMAMJJÁSOND
Figure 3. Mean annual variation of temperature in
1925-1990, for Reykjavík, Thorshavn, Nordöyan fyr,
Björnöya, Jan Mayen, Angmagssalik and Godthaab/-
Nuuk. — Arlegur gangur mánaðarmeðaltals hitans
árin 1925-1990 í Reykjavík, Þórshöfn í Færeyjum,
Nordöyan fyr, Björnöya, Jan Mayen, Angmagssalik
og Godthaab/Nuuk.
a frontal zone and as expected there is a very strong
temperature gradient from south to north. Both in S-
Iceland and N-Norway the mean temperatures reach
5°C, but decrease rapidly towards arctic temperatures
far to the north.
Figure 3 shows the mean annual range of tem-
perature from 1925-1990 for seven weather sta-
tions. The maritime stations show a range be-
tween warmest and coldest months of 7.6°C in
Thorshavn, 10.7°C in Jan Mayen and 11.4°C in
Reykjavík. For the arctic stations, the mean annual
ranges are in the interval 12.3°C-12.4°C (Nordöya
fyr, Björnöya) to 14.3°C-14.8°C (Angmagssalik and
Godthaab/Nuuk). The month of highest temperature
is July at Godthaab/Nuuk, Angmagssalik and Reykja-
vík, but August in Björnöya, Jan Mayen, Nordöya fyr
and Thorshavn. The month of the lowest temperature
is on the average January in Nordöyan fyr, Reykjavrk
and Thorshavn, February in Jan Mayen, Angmagssa-
lik and Godthaab/Nuuk, and March in Björnöya.
Figure 4. Standard deviation of the annual tempera-
ture, 1925-1990, in the eastern North-Atlantic region,
in °C. — Staðalfrávikárshita árin 1925-1990 á aust-
anverðu Norður-Atlantshaf, í 0 C.
STANDARD DEVIATION OF TEMPERA-
TURE, 1925-1990
The standard deviation of monthly or annual tem-
peratures from year to year was calculated for the
period 1925-1990 (Figure 4). The annual standard de-
viation increases northwards from 0.5°C just south of
Iceland to more than 1.3° C in the northernmost part of
the region. Thus, the annual temperatures in the north-
ern Arctic regions usually are much more variable than
in the southern region.
In Figure 5, mean monthly standard deviations
over the period 1925-1990 show large variations dur-
ing the year in all parts of the region, but the largest
ones in the northernmost weather stations. Thorshavn,
a maritime station, shows the lowest variation. As ex-
pected the standard deviations are highest during the
winter months, and they are quite different from one
station to another. In contrast, the standard devia-
tions are similar at all the stations during the summer
months.
JÖKULL, No. 43, 1993 3