Antarctic Drifting Buoy Measurements from 1995 to 1998

The World Climate Research Programme's International Programme for Antarctic Buoys (IPAB) collected this dataset from a drifting buoy network across three Antarctic regions. It provides raw, non-interpolated measurements of buoy position, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and sea surface temperature from 1995 to 1998. Data are organized as daily and three-hour averages, supporting research on sea ice dynamics and polar climate.

Use Cases

• Analyzing sea ice drift patterns using geospatial buoy position data.
• Studying polar atmospheric conditions via air temperature and pressure time series.
• Investigating ocean surface heat fluxes with sea surface temperature measurements.
• Calibrating satellite-derived ice motion or sea surface temperature products.

Strengths

• Provides raw, instantaneous, non-interpolated data values for accuracy.
• Covers three major Antarctic study regions: East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Bellingshausen/Amundsen/Ross Seas.
• Includes both daily and three-hour averaged data for temporal analysis flexibility.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on last updated date: one lists 2026-03-13 (likely metadata), another lists 1998-12-31 (data end).
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified', requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) International Programme for Antarctic Buoys (IPAB), via participating international research organizations.

Collection Method

Measurements collected from a network of drifting buoys deployed in the Antarctic sea ice zone.

Time Range

1995 to 1998

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:10:32.140644 (metadata update on datagov)

Geography

Antarctic sea ice zone, specifically East Antarctica; the Weddell Sea; and the Bellingshausen, Amundsen, and Ross Seas.