Antarctic Sea Ice Thickness Distribution from Ship Observations 1980-2004

ASPCET - Antarctic sea ice thickness distribution is a dataset compiled from ship observations across multiple countries. The data was collected between 1980 and 2004 by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC) as part of ASAC project 2669. It provides a baseline for understanding the regional and seasonal variability of Antarctic sea ice thickness.

Use Cases

• Analyze seasonal variability of sea ice thickness using time-stamped observation records.
• Model regional thickness distribution by correlating observation locations with geospatial coordinates.
• Establish a historical baseline for Antarctic sea ice by examining data spanning 24 years.
• Validate climate system sensitivity studies using direct thickness measurements unavailable from remote sensing.

Strengths

• Data spans a 24-year time range from 1980 to 2004.
• Compiles observations from many different countries, increasing data diversity.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column names, and sample size are unknown.
• Data collection ended in 2004, making it temporally stale for analyzing recent climate trends.
• The description indicates it is a parent record; detailed cruise data requires accessing separate child records.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC) via NASA Earth Data (nasa_earthdata).

Collection Method

Compiled from direct ship-based observations.

Time Range

1980 to 2004.

Freshness

Last updated 2004-12-31; no ongoing updates indicated.

Geography

Antarctic region.