Polar Boundary Layer Measurements from Antarctic Sea Ice Stations

Matlab files contain 10-second interval measurements of wind, temperature, humidity, and snow particles from two instrument masts deployed on Antarctic sea ice during the 2012 SIPEX II voyage. Data was collected by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre using Campbell Scientific CR1000 dataloggers and specific sensor models from RM Young and Rotronics. The dataset covers at least three ice stations from October 2012.

Use Cases

• Model snow transport by correlating Wind1 and Wind2 speed measurements with Snow1-4 particle counts at four heights.
• Analyze vertical temperature and humidity profiles using Temp1, Temp2, RH1, and RH2 data from ventilated sensors at ~50cm and ~200cm.
• Study wind gust dynamics by comparing average (Wind1) and maximum (Wind1max) wind speeds at 250cm height.
• Investigate sensor performance or batch effects by comparing data from Wenglor snow sensors manufactured in 2007 versus 2012.

Strengths

• Multi-height measurements for key variables like wind speed (4 heights) and snow particles (4 heights) enable vertical profile analysis.
• High temporal resolution with 10-second interval logging captures rapid atmospheric fluctuations.
• Deployment of two separate masts (A and C) at stations 6 and 7 allows for spatial comparison on the ice.

Limitations

• The chief investigator noted a better quality version of this dataset exists but is not archived, casting doubt on data fidelity.
• Timezone inconsistency exists, with station 2 data recorded in UTC+12 instead of UTC, requiring correction for temporal analysis.
• Limited temporal coverage from a single Antarctic voyage in 2012 reduces generalizability to other seasons or years.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC) from the SIPEX II voyage.

Collection Method

Data collected via Campbell Scientific CR1000 dataloggers running custom program 'HC2S3snowwind.CR1', with sensors including RM Young anemometers and Rotronics HC2S3 probes.

Time Range

2012, specifically including October 2012.

Freshness

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Geography

Antarctic sea ice stations visited by the Aurora Australis during SIPEX II voyage.