McMurdo Sound Sea Ice and Oceanographic Measurements from 2002-2003

Measurements from McMurdo Sound investigate platelet ice influence on land fast sea ice formation over a winter season. Data includes oceanographic readings from current meters, ADCPs, CTD probes, and ice properties from CT probes, salinity profiles, density, microstructure, and ice cores. The SCIOPS organization collected equipment test data from August to October 2002 and full-time measurements at two sites from March to September 2003.

Use Cases

• Analyze sea ice salinity profiles and crystal structure from ice cores to model ice growth rates.
• Correlate conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) probe data with acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) readings to study oceanographic conditions influencing platelet ice.
• Compare conductivity-temperature (CT) probe and microstructure data from sites with abundant and scarce platelet ice to determine its impact on land fast sea ice formation.
• Use time-series data from current meters and water sampling to track changes in ocean currents and properties throughout the winter season.

Strengths

• Full-time measurements collected at two distinct sites over a 7-month period from March to September 2003.
• Multiple data types collected, including oceanographic, ice property, and ice core measurements for cross-analysis.

Limitations

• Data collection ended in September 2003, making it temporally stale for contemporary climate studies.
• Specific sample sizes, row counts, and geographic coordinates beyond 'McMurdo Sound' are unknown.
• The dataset's completeness and potential gaps during the winter season are not described.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS organization via NASA EarthData.

Collection Method

Data collected from field instruments including current meters, ADCPs, CTD probes, CT probes, and manual ice core sampling.

Time Range

Equipment testing August-October 2002; primary measurements March-September 2003.

Freshness

Last updated in September 2003; no update frequency provided.

Geography

McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.