1933 Alaska Dust Count Observations from the Second International Polar Year

Dust Count Observations March 1933 - August 1933 contains daily atmospheric particulate data recorded in College-Fairbanks, Alaska, as part of the Second International Polar Year. The dataset includes up to 10 dust counts per day alongside concurrent measurements of wind, clouds, and visibility, captured using an Aitken Dust Counter. It originates from the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institute of Washington and is preserved by NSIDC.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily dust concentration variability in the Arctic during spring and summer of 1933.
• Correlating historical dust counts with recorded wind, cloud, and visibility conditions for meteorological studies.
• Examining instrument performance and data quality issues noted in the handwritten log entries.
• Providing a baseline for comparative studies of modern versus historical particulate matter levels in Alaska.

Strengths

• Provides a continuous daily record from 23 March 1933 to 29 August 1933, covering a specific Arctic spring/summer season.
• Includes multiple measurements per day (up to 10 counts) alongside wind, cloud, and visibility data for contextual analysis.
• Contains both original handwritten PDF and a transcribed Excel file, allowing for verification and digitization.

Limitations

• The transcribed spreadsheet is incomplete, omitting some handwritten notes about instrument problems.
• No explicit column names or row counts are provided, complicating automated analysis.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata exists between platforms (1933 vs. 2026), creating provenance uncertainty.

Provenance

Source

Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institute of Washington (Second International Polar Year Records).

Collection Method

Handwritten daily observations recorded using an Aitken Dust Counter, later partially transcribed to digital format.

Time Range

1933-03-23 to 1933-08-29

Freshness

2026-03-13 03:00:54.751133

Geography

College-Fairbanks, Alaska, USA