Investigation of temperature inversion and lapse rates on Beerenberg, Jan Mayen, RiS 12336

This project investigates temperature inversion and lapse rates on the flanks of the glacier-covered volcano, Beerenberg (2277 m a.s.l.), on the remote island of Jan Mayen. The high humidity often leads to cloud formation, non-linear lapse rates, and temperature inversion. However, little is known about the spatial and temporal variability and the inversion characteristics. Data from altitudinal air temperature profiles at the wind-exposed, west-facing Kerckhoffbreen and the southeast-facing Sørbreen in the leeside will be collected and compared using a network of Tinytag temperature loggers mounted on aluminium stakes at 1 m and 2 m heights at each stake. This data will be supplemented by data from a HOBO weather station installed at the front of Sørbreen, a set of HumiLog+HumiBaroLog loggers at higher altitude on Sørbreen, and weather station and radio sonde data from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute station in Olonkinbyen. My working hypothesis is that the characteristics and vertical variations of surface air temperatures differ significantly between the wind-exposed western flank of Beerenberg (at Kerckhoffbreen) and the leeside southeastern flank (at Sørbreen).