Antarctic meteorological data are collected by the Alfred Wegener Institute at the Neumayer Ground Station and the research ship FS Polarstern. Synoptic observations are recorded every 3 hours, including air temperature, pressure, wind, dew point, clouds, visibility, and weather. The data series began on 28 January 1981 and is coded in FM12-SYNOP format for transmission to the Global Telecommunication System.
Use Cases
- Analyze trends in air temperature and air pressure measurements over decades to study Antarctic warming.
- Model wind vector patterns to understand storm frequency and intensity in the Southern Ocean region.
- Correlate dew point temperature and cloud observations with present weather codes to improve polar fog forecasting.
- Use horizontal visibility and snowdrift data to assess environmental conditions for polar logistics and safety.
Strengths
- Long-term temporal coverage starting from 28 January 1981.
- High-frequency observations collected every 3 hours.
- Data includes multiple meteorological variables: temperature, pressure, wind, dew point, clouds, visibility, and weather.
Limitations
- Visual observations are omitted during night-time measurements at 3 and 6 UTC.
- Sample size and geographic coverage are limited to two specific locations.
- Specific row count, file formats, and data size are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.
- Collection Method
- Synoptic observations are carried out every 3 hours, coded in FM12-SYNOP format, and transferred via a Data Collecting Platform to the Global Telecommunication System.
- Time Range
- Since 28 January 1981.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Neumayer Ground Station (70S,8W) and the research ship FS Polarstern in Antarctica.