Western Arctic Ice Drift Stations: Surface Meteorological Data for the Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean surface meteorological data from Western Arctic ice drifting stations, including AIDJEX, ARLIS I, ARLIS II, Ice Station Alpha, Ice Station Charlie, T-3, and the ships Maud and Fram. These data were collected and organized by NCDC and NSIDC, leading to the production of a CD-ROM. Several different versions of the data are available, extending from the original key-entered data to variable subsets and QC versions developed in uniform format for all stations.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical Arctic surface weather patterns based on meteorological data from drifting stations.
• Modeling ice drift trajectories based on station location data implied by the dataset's nature.
• Studying long-term climate variability in the Arctic Ocean based on the temporal coverage of the stations.
• Comparing meteorological conditions across different ice stations and research vessels mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data originates from multiple established ice drift stations and research vessels, providing diverse observation points.
• Includes several quality-controlled (QC) versions of the data developed in a uniform format for all stations.
• Data was organized by authoritative climate data centers NCDC and NSIDC.

Limitations

• Last updated 1976-12-31 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (NCDC and NSIDC)

Collection Method

Collected from surface meteorological instruments on ice drifting stations and ships.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is implied by the stations' operational periods, but specific start and end dates are not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 1976-12-31 23:59:59.999000.

Geography

Arctic Ocean