COMPARISON OF OBSERVATIONS AND MACROCLIMATIC MODEL ESTIMATES OF MONTHLY WINTER SOIL TEMPERATURES AT OTTAWA

Abstract

Estimates of monthly soil temperatures under short-grass cover across Canada using a macroclimatic model (Ouellet 1973a) were compared to monthly averages of soil temperatures monitored over winter at Ottawa between November 1959 and April 1981. Although the fit between monthly estimates and Ottawa observations was generally good (R for all months and depths 0.10, 0.20, 0.50, 1.00 and 1.50 m was 0.90), it was noted that midwinter estimates were generally below observed temperatures at all soil depths. Data sets used in the development of the original Ouellet (1973a) multiple regression equations were collected from stations across Canada, many of which have reduced snow cover. It was found that the buffering capability of the snow cover accumulated at Ottawa during the winter months was underestimated by the pertinent partial regression coefficients in these equations. The coefficients were therefore modified for the Ottawa station during the winter months. The resultant regression models were used to estimate soil temperature during the winters of 1981–1982 and 1982–1983. Although the Ottawa-based models included fewer variables because of the smaller data base available from a single site, comparisons of model estimates and observations were good (R = 0.84 and 0.91) and midwinter estimates were not consistently underestimated as they were using the original Ouellet (1973a) model. Reliable monthly estimates of soil temperatures are important since they are a necessary input to more detailed predictive models of daily soil temperatures. Key words: Regression model, snowcover, stepwise regression, variable selection