G02203
Arctic Sea Ice Charts from Danish Meteorological Institute, 1893 - 1956
Danish Meteorological Institute and NSIDC. Compiled by V. Underhill and F. Fetterer.
Arctic Sea Ice Charts from Danish Meteorological Institute, 1893 - 1956
2012-11-15
Boulder, Colorado USA
NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center
http://nsidc.org/data/g02203.html
http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N56D5QXC
Technical Contact
NSIDC
User Services
nsidc@nsidc.org
1 303 492-6199 x
1 303 492-2468 x
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder
CO
80309-0449
USA
Investigator
Unknown
Danish Meteorological Institute
Lyngbyvej 100 DK-2100
Copenhagen E
Denmark
EARTH SCIENCE
Oceans
Sea Ice
Ice Extent
EARTH SCIENCE
Oceans
Sea Ice
Sea Ice Concentration
Climatology/Meteorology/Atmosphere
Sea Ice
Sea Ice Conditions
Sea Ice Extent
1893-04-01
1956-08-31
complete
55
90
-180
180
OCEAN
ARCTIC OCEAN
Especially early in the century, these charts are based on relatively sparse data and rely to a large degree on the inference and extrapolation of the lead mapmakers: V. Garde, C. Speerschneider, and H. Thomsen and M.V.L.Lorck (Thomsen, 1947). Direct observations are always clearly marked, but white space denotes the assumed ice edge. Directly observed open water is not shown differently than assumed open water. Details on areas of open water can be found in the notes that accompany the charts. In most cases, this assumed ice edge follows a 30-year climatological average over a period of years that shifts over the record. We do not have a refernce or any more information on the 30-year climatology. However, the assumed ice edge moves independent of the climatological average line. This suggests that the mapmakers incorporated more factors than just an average estimate. As suggested by Kelly (1979), the mapmakers probably extrapolated the annual ice edge in three ways: they probably used their knowledge of ice movement, growth, and melt to project ice conditions from given data points further in both time and space. They also may have used auxiliary data that are not included in the DMI publications themselves; these sources may have included annual climatic or atmospheric circulation data present at the time. The DMI mapmakers were experienced climatologists, so while their inferences are subjective, they are also probably the most reliable of the time.
English
NSIDC
National Snow and Ice Data Center
http://nsidc.org
Data Center Contact
NSIDC
User Services
nsidc@nsidc.org
1 303 492-6199
1 303 492-2468
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder
CO
80309-0449
USA
NSIDC_NOAA
NSIDC National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
http://nsidc.org/noaa/
Data Center Contact
NSIDC NOAA
User Services
nsidc@nsidc.org
1 303 492-6199
1 303 492-2468
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder
CO
80309-0449
USA
FTP
4.5 MB
JPEG
Chapman, W.L., and J.E. Walsh. 1991, updated 1996. Arctic and Southern Ocean sea ice concentrations. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center http://nsidc.org/data/g00799.html.
Dehn, W. S. 1979. Inadequacies in Archive Sea Ice Data. Glaciological Data Report : Workshop on Snow Cover and Sea Ice Data. GD-5 p 101-106. World Data Center A for Glaciology (Snow and Ice). Boulder, CO.
Kelly, P. M. 1979. An Arctic Sea Ice Data Set: 1901-1956. Glaciological Data Report : Workshop on Snow Cover and Sea Ice Data. GD-5 p 101-106. World Data Center A for Glaciology (Snow and Ice). Boulder, CO.
Walsh, J.E. (1978) A data set on Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent. National Snow and Ice Data Center, "Glaciological Data, Report GD-2", part 1, pp. 49 - 51.
Sear, C. B. 1988. An Index of Sea Ice Variations in the Nordic Seas. Int. J. Climatology 8: 339-55.
Thompson, H. 1947. The Annual Reports on the Arctic Sea Ice issued by the Danish Meteorological Institute. J. of Glaciology 1(3): 140-141.
From 1893 to 1956, the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) created charts of observed and inferred sea ice extent for each summer month. These charts are based on compiled observations of ice conditions reported by a variable network of national organizations, shore-based observers, scientific expeditions, and ships as detailed in each report; in cases where no observations were available, the lead mapmakers extrapolated further ice cover using their knowledge of ice movement. Except for where direct observations are indicated, caution is advised in using the charts’ ice edge because there is no way to quantify the assumptions used in extrapolating ice edge or the error involved in this method. See the note on reliability for further discussion of potential error. The charts were scanned at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) and are being made available here as a service and in cooperation with DMI and other contributors. In all, there are 266 image files containing 291 images.
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The Dehn Collection of Arctic Sea Ice Charts, 1953-1986
CEOS IDN DIF
9.7
2012-11-15
2013-03-12
Added DOI to metadata record