Jökull - 01.12.1993, Page 13

Figure 14. Distribution of correlation coefficients of
the annual temperature in 1925-1990 between Reykja-
vík as a basic station and other stations in the eastern
North-Atlantic. — Fylgni árshita 1925-1990 í Reykja-
vík við aðrar veðurstöðvar í Norður-Atlantshafi.
Figure 15. Distribution of correlation coefficients of
the annual temperature 1925-1990 between Grímsey
as a basic station and other stations in the east-
ern North-Atlantic. — Fylgni árshita 1925-1990 í
Grímsey við aðrar veðurstöðvar.
ues. Another approach to this study is to calculate the
correlation of annual temperatures of 1925-1990 be-
tween selected basic stations and the other weather
stations. The period 1925-1990 was used because
observations are lacking from the first years of the
century at some stations north of Iceland. Altogether
data from 20 weather stations were used in the calcu-
lations (not including Hopen which started in the year
1946, Ivigtut which was only in function until 1960
and Upernavik to 1980).
Using Reykjavík as a basic station, Figure 14
shows a map of the distribution of the correlation co-
efficients of annual temperature with other weather
stations, for the period 1925-1990. A correlation co-
efficient r > 0.7 (explaining more than 50% of the
variance), is found within a region towards west and
southwest of Reykjavík, all the way to SW-Greenland,
i-e. Angmagssalik (r = 0.77), and in an area reaching
towards east, over Iceland and almost to Thorshavn
(r = 0.64). Farther eastwards the correlation coeffi-
cients decrease rapidly. They are only r = 0.09-0.13 at
the west coast of Norway, the lowest ones calculated
on this chart, confirnfing the conclusion in a previous
section of small correlation of temperatures between
Iceland and W-Norway. A chart having Vestmanna-
eyjar as a basic station, shows the same characteristics
as described for Reykjavík.
The regions with r = 0.5-0.7 (or even lower values)
cover the frequent tracks of cyclones from southwest
towards northeast, which more or less influence tem-
perature conditions in the North-Atlantic as a whole.
The area where r > 0.8, is the same area as location
the Icelandic Low.
Figure 15 shows the distribution of the correlation
coefficients with other stations for the period 1925-
1990 with Grímsey as a basic station. A region cov-
ering r > 0.7 includes Iceland, reaches southeast to
Thorshavn (r = 0.7), northeast over Jan Mayen (r =
0.72) and southwest over Denmark Strait and along the
coast of Greenland, south of Angmagssalik (r = 0.69).
The values r = 0.6 stretch north to Jan Mayen and
JÖKULL, No. 43, 1993 11