Soviet Arctic Aircraft Ice and Snow Measurements, 1928-1989

Morphometric Characteristics of Ice and Snow in the Arctic Basin provides 23 parameters of sea ice and snow measurements from aircraft landings during the Soviet Union's Sever airborne and North Pole drifting station programs. The dataset spans over six decades, from 1928 to 1989, and was compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It captures detailed physical characteristics of the Arctic ice pack during a historically significant period.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical trends in ice thickness and snow depth for climate model validation.
• Studying the spatial distribution and dimensions of ice ridges, hummocks, and sastrugi.
• Investigating snow density variations across the Arctic Basin over a 61-year period.
• Correlating aircraft landing site observations with broader satellite or station-based ice records.

Strengths

• Contains measurements for 23 distinct physical parameters, providing a multi-faceted view of ice and snow conditions.
• Covers a uniquely long temporal range of 61 years (1928-1989) from a critical historical observing program.
• Data originates from a systematic, platform-based observation program (Sever airborne and North Pole drifting stations).

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and complete column names are not provided by any source.
• There is a significant conflict in the 'last updated' metadata, with dates ranging from 1989 to 2026 across platforms.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), from Soviet Union Sever airborne and North Pole drifting station programs.

Collection Method

Measurements collected during aircraft landings in the Arctic Basin.

Time Range

1928 to 1989

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:20:20.688254

Geography

Arctic Basin