This data set includes in situ air pressure, wind, temperature, longwave radiation, and shortwave radiation measurements. Data were recorded from 27 April 2002 through 11 Nov 2009 by weather stations and radiometers on drifting buoys near the North Pole that were deployed by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). A lack of solar energy, which is needed to power the radiometer batteries, rendered some data useless after mid-to-late September.
The North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO) is a year-round, automated scientific observatory, deploying various instruments each April in order to learn how the world's northernmost sea helps regulate global climate. It consists of a set of unmanned scientific platforms that record oceanographic, cryospheric, and atmospheric data throughout the year. More information about the project is available at the project Web site, North Pole Environmental Observatory.
Data are in ASCII text format and are available via ordering through NCAR.
Morison, J., K. Aagaard, R. Moritz, M. McPhee, A. Heiberg, M. Steele, and R. Andersen. 2005. North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO) weather and radiation buoy data, 2002-2004. Boulder, CO: National Center for Atmospheric Research
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Data format | All files are in ASCII text format and can be viewed with a text editor. Data files are in space-delimited row/column format, including several rows of header information. |
| Spatial coverage and resolution | Southernmost Latitude: 67.2760° N Northernmost Latitude: 89.1680° N Westernmost Longitude: 26.1310° W Easternmost Longitude: 76.4760° E |
| Temporal coverage and resolution | The data were collected from 27 April 2002 to 11 Nov 2009 and were transmitted hourly. |
| File naming convention | File names use the convention NPEOyyyy_####.ii.txt where yyyy is the year the buoy was deployed, #### is an instrument identification number, and ii is the instrument abbreviation. The instrument abbreviations "wx", "kzrad", and "eprad" represent the PMEL weather station, Kipp & Zonen radiometers, and Eppley radiometers, respectively. The metadata file names follow the format NPEOyyyy_WxByous_ReadMe.txt. |
| File size | Files sizes range from 5 KB to 955 KB. The entire data set is approximately 2.85 MB. |
| Parameter(s) |
|
| Procedures for obtaining data | Data are distributed is a 737 KB compressed file and are available for ordering through NCAR. |
1. Contacts and Acknowledgments
2. Detailed Data Description
3. Data Access and Tools
4. Data Acquisition and Processing
5. References and Related Publications
6. Document Information
James Morison
Polar Science Center
Applied Physics Laboratory
University of Washington
1013 NE 40th Street
Seattle, WA 98105-6698
USA
Knut Aagaard
Polar Science Center
Applied Physics Laboratory
University of Washington
1013 NE 40th Street
Seattle, WA 98105
USA
Richard Moritz
Polar Science Center
Applied Physics Laboratory
University of Washington
1013 NE 40th Street
Seattle, WA 98105
USA
Miles McPhee
McPhee Research Company
450 Clover Spring Rd
Naches, WA 98937
USA
Andreas Heiberg
Polar Science Center
Applied Physics Laboratory
University of Washington
1013 NE 40th Street
Seattle, WA 98105
USA
Michael Steele
Polar Science Center
Applied Physics Laboratory
University of Washington
1013 NE 40th Street
Seattle, WA 98105
USA
Roger Andersen
Polar Science Center
Applied Physics Laboratory
University of Washington
1013 NE 40th Street
Seattle, Washington
98105-6698
USA
This research was supported by the NSF OPP Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program grant OPP-9910305 to J. Morison.
These data were recorded by sensors on Argos current-following drifters, which transmit data via the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) network, deployed at the North Pole Environmental Observatory by Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). One weather station buoy and two radiometer buoys were deployed. The radiometers were deployed adjacent to the weather station buoy on the same floe. The data from the radiometers are not useful after mid-to-late September. Please see the Quality Assessment section for more details.
All files are in ASCII text format and can be viewed with a text editor. Data files are in space-delimited row/column format, including several rows of header information.
NPEO2002_20726.kzrad.txt
The data file is 8430 rows x 9 columns, and the first 12 rows consist of header information. Data is under the following column headings:
NPEO2002_22204.eprad.txt
The data file is 5920 rows x 5 columns, and the first 12 rows consist of header information. Data is under the following column headings:
Note: PSP is the acronym for the Precision Spectral Pyranometer and PIR is the acronym for the Precision Infrared Radiometer.
NPEO2002_22207.wx.txt
The data file is 181 rows x 12 columns, and the first 13 rows consist of header information. Data is under the following column headings:
Note: AirT1 was a fan-aspirated air temperature reading while the AirT2 reading was from a shielded thermistor. Wu is the eastward wind component, Wv is the northward wind component, Wspd is the wind speed, and Wdir is the wind direction.
NPEO2003_09115.kzrad.txt
The data file is 3379 rows x 12 columns, and the first 13 rows consist of header information. Data is under the following column headings:
NPEO2003_22206.wx.txt
The data file is 8677 rows x 12 columns, and the first 18 rows consist of header information. Data is under the following column headings:
Note: AirT1 was a fan-aspirated air temperature reading while the AirT2 reading was from a shielded thermistor. Wu is the eastward wind component, Wv is the northward wind component, Wspd is the wind speed, and Wdir is the wind direction.
NPEO2002_WxBuoys/
NPEO2002_20726.kzrad.txt - PMEL Kipp & Zonen radiometers
NPEO2002_22204.eprad.txt - Eppley radiometers
NPEO2002_22207.wx.txt - PMEL weather station
NPEO_2002_WxBuoys_ReadMe.txt - This text file includes investigator-provided metadata for the April 2002 deployment.
NPEO2003_WxBuoys/
NPEO2003_09115.kzrad.txt - PMEL Kipp & Zonen radiometers
NPEO2003_22206.wx.txt - PMEL weather station
NPEO2003_WxBuoys_ReadMe.txt - This text file includes investigator-provided metadata for the April 2003 deployment.
File names use the convention NPEOyyyy_####.ii.txt where yyyy is the year the buoy was deployed, #### is an instrument identification number, and ii is the instrument abbreviation. The instrument abbreviations "wx", "kzrad", and "eprad" represent the PMEL weather station, Kipp & Zonen radiometers, and Eppley radiometers, respectively. The metadata file names follow the format NPEOyyyy_WxByous_ReadMe.txt.
Files sizes range from 5 KB to 955 KB. The entire data set is approximately 2.85 MB.
2002-2003
Southernmost Latitude: 69.4923° N
Northernmost Latitude: 88.5197° N
Westernmost Longitude: 21.5628° W
Easternmost Longitude: 71.5727° E
2003-2004
Southernmost Latitude: 67.2760° N
Northernmost Latitude: 89.1680° N
Westernmost Longitude: 26.1310° W
Easternmost Longitude: 76.4760° E
Data were transmitted hourly during the time periods specified below. Note: Each year, the radiometers recorded unreliable data mid-to-late September because the available solar energy was insufficient to power the solar panels, which powered the heaters and fans of the radiometers.
- Air temperature: °C
- Eastward wind component (Wu): m/s
- Latitude: ° N
- Longitude: ° E
- Longwave radiation: W/m2
- Pressure: millibar (mb)
- Shortwave radiation: W/m2
- Westward wind component (Wv): m/s
- Wind speed: m/s
- Wind direction: degrees true (0-360° relative to the North Pole)
The following data sample can be found in the file "NPEO2002_22207.wx.txt".
Year |
Day |
Hour |
Lat |
Lon |
AirT1 |
AirT2 |
Press |
Wu |
Wv |
Wspd |
Wdir |
|
|
|
(degN) |
(degE) |
(C) |
(C) |
(mb) |
(m/s) |
(m/s) |
(m/s) |
(deg) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2002 |
117 |
1700 |
88.4943 |
71.5508 |
-23.70 |
-21.85 |
1033.86 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
194.3 |
2002 |
117 |
1800 |
88.494 |
71.5122 |
-23.91 |
-23.45 |
1033.86 |
-0.18 |
-0.18 |
0.25 |
44.7 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
193.8 |
2002 |
117 |
2000 |
88.4932 |
71.4453 |
-24.14 |
-23.59 |
1033.86 |
-0.45 |
-0.23 |
0.5 |
63.1 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
-0.2 |
0.04 |
0.2 |
102.7 |
2002 |
117 |
2200 |
88.4927 |
71.3552 |
-24.79 |
-23.65 |
1034.2 |
-0.96 |
0.84 |
1.28 |
131.3 |
2002 |
117 |
2300 |
88.4925 |
71.3115 |
-24.28 |
-24 |
1033.86 |
-3.73 |
0.94 |
3.85 |
104.1 |
2002 |
118 |
0 |
88.4923 |
71.2755 |
-24.16 |
-23.87 |
1033.86 |
-4 |
1.54 |
4.29 |
111.1 |
2002 |
118 |
100 |
88.4925 |
71.2493 |
-23.93 |
-23.12 |
1033.53 |
-2.46 |
2.17 |
3.28 |
131.4 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
1.00E+35 |
-3.53 |
2.67 |
4.42 |
127.1 |
Weather Station: If winds were reported as zero for more than a few records, as in December 2002 and January 2003, the researchers assumed the rotor was frozen. Missing data from a weather station are flagged with the value "1.00E+35".
Radiometers: The radiometers were "cleaned" by a heater and powered from batteries charged by solar panels. The solar panels were not able to charge the batteries after mid-to-late September, causing the radiometers to frost over. Thus, data collected after that time are not reliable. Neither radiometer buoy recorded position information, so the drift track from the weather station buoy applies to each. Missing radiometer data are flagged with the value "-99.9".
Data are distributed as a 737 KB compressed file and are available via FTP. Access Data.
The entire data set is 2.85 MB.
These data were recorded by sensors on Argos drifters. The ARGOS satellite network detects the radio signals from the electronics housed on such drifters. Through this process, sensor data and the location of the drifters can be recorded several times daily. PMEL buoys recorded the weather station data. The black RM Young Arctic model sensor collected wind data. The PMEL Kipp & Zonen CM 22 Pyranometer and CG 4 Pyrgeometer recorded radiometric data for both the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Additionally, during the 2002 season, PMEL Eppley radiometers were also deployed. These were the Eppley Precision Infrared Radiometer (PIR) and the Eppley Precision Spectral Pyranometer (PSP) .
McPhee, Miles G., T. Kikuchi, J. Morison, and T.P. Stanton. 2003. Ocean-to-ice heat flux at the North Pole environmental observatory. Geophysical Research Letters. V 30-24. 2274.
ARCSS: Arctic System Science
ARGOS: Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite
ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange
CIRES: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
FTP: File Transfer Protocol
NPEO: North Pole Environmental Observatory
NSF: National Science Foundation
NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center
OPP: Office of Polar Programs
PIR: Precision Infrared Radiometer
PMEL: Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
PSP: Precision Spectral Pyranometer
URL: Uniform Resource Locators
July 2005
September 2005
September 2005