Soviet Arctic Drifting Station Rawinsonde Data 1954-1990

Daily atmospheric soundings from Soviet North Pole drifting ice stations provide a multi-decade record of Arctic conditions. The dataset includes measurements of wind, pressure, humidity, temperature, geopotential height, and cloud cover from stations north of 70°N. Data were assembled under Dr. J. Kahl from handwritten tables archived at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in Russia.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in Arctic atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles using the recorded soundings.
• Studying historical wind patterns and geopotential height in the high Arctic for climate model validation.
• Investigating cloud cover characteristics (amount, type, height) over the Arctic Ocean from surface-based observations.
• Reconstructing historical weather events and atmospheric conditions around Soviet drifting ice stations.

Strengths

• Covers a long temporal range of over 36 years, from April 1954 to July 1990.
• Contains a multi-variable atmospheric profile including wind, temperature, pressure, humidity, height, and cloud data.
• Derived from primary, handwritten observation logs kept at a major polar research institute (AARI).
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Exact row counts and total dataset size are not specified across any source.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' metadata, with one showing 2026 (likely an administrative update) and another showing 1990 (the data end date).
• Data is derived from historical handwritten tables, which may introduce transcription errors or gaps.

Provenance

Source

Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Collection Method

Assembled from bound volumes of handwritten tables; data were obtained from several sources and compiled under Dr. J. Kahl.

Time Range

1954-04-19 to 1990-07-31

Freshness

2026-03-13 03:19:08.651129

Geography

Arctic Ocean, north of approximately 70 degrees North, at Soviet drifting ice stations.