Systematic error aspects of gauge-measured solid precipitation in the Arctic, Barrow, Alaska

This report provides insight into systematic errors of gauge-measured precipitation in the Arctic by the precipitation gauge intercomparison experiment at Barrow, Alaska. Reference gauges and various national standard gauges used in the Arctic regions were installed. The bias of trace precipitation was recorded with high frequency and varied widely from 6 to 130% increase of the gauge-measured amounts due to a variety of gauge types. The blowing snow experiment showed that the number flux of aeolian snow particles at a gauge orifice height verily increased with the occurrence of blowing snow, and it seems reasonable to suppose that blowing snow particles are an overestimation bias of gauge-measured precipitation. These suggest that the systematic errors of gauge-measured precipitation for Arctic conditions must mainly take into consideration of not only wind-induced undercatch, wetting and evaporation losses, but also the influence of blowing snow and trace precipitation loss.