Ross Ice Shelf Firn Temperature, Antarctica

Summary

Since November of 2006, 12 thermistors were planted in the upper 16 meters of the firn on the Ross Ice Shelf near its calving front. Temperature data are collected every 20 minutes and are transmitted via ARGOS satellite relay. Data are intended to provide a view of how firn temperatures change as the ice shelf evolves. Data are available in comma-delimited ASCII format. Data are available via FTP.

Citing These Data

The following example shows how to cite the use of this data set in a publication. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.

MacAyeal, Douglas, Olga Sergienko Ted Scambos, and Atsu Muto. 2008. Ross Ice Shelf firn temperature, Antarctica. Boulder, Colorado USA: National Snow and Ice Data Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N5BP00Q3.

Overview Table

Category	Description
Data format	comma-delimited ASCII format
Spatial coverage and resolution	Southernmost Latitude: 78 South Northernmost Latitude: 78 South Westernmost Longitude: 178 West Easternmost Longitude: 178 West
Temporal coverage and resolution	20061104 to 20080631
File naming convention	.txt for comma-delimited ASCII format
File size	2 Megabytes
Parameter(s)	Parameters include iceberg drift, iceberg latitude and longitude, iceberg weather (AWS), ice shelf motion, ice shelf surface temperature, ice shelf weather, iceberg snow accumulation
Procedures for obtaining data	Available via FTP

Table of Contents

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

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments

Investigator(s)

Douglas MacAyeal
Department of Geophysical Sciences
University of Chicago
5734 S. Ellis Ave.
HGS 413
Chicago, Illinois 60637 USA

Olga Sergienko
Department of Geology
Portland State University
Portlan, Oregon, 97201 USA

Ted Scambos
National Snow and Ice Data Center
University of Colorado
CIRES 449 UCB
Boulder,Colorado 80309 USA

Atsu Muto
National Snow and Ice Data Center
University of Colorado
CIRES 449 UCB
Boulder,Colorado 80309 USA

Technical Contact

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs (OPP) grant 0229546 awarded to D. MacAyeal.

2. Detailed Data Description

Format

comma delimited ASCII text

File and Directory Structure

Data are available on the FTP site in the my_directory directory.

time, temperatures (at 12 depths)

     

File Naming Convention

Files are named according to the following convention and as described in Table X:

.txt

where:

Table X. File Naming Convention

Variable	Description
.txt	comma delimited ASCII text

File Size

2 Megabytes (MB)

Spatial Coverage

Ross Ice Shelf, Nascent Iceberg, Antarctica

Southernmost Latitude: 78 South
Northernmost Latitude: 78 South
Westernmost Longitude: 178 West
Easternmost Longitude: 178 West

Spatial Resolution

Variable depth to 16 meters

Temporal Resolution

daily averages

Parameter or Variable

Parameters include iceberg drift, iceberg latitude and longitude, iceberg weather (AWS),
ice shelf motion, ice shelf surface temperature, ice shelf weather, iceberg snow accumulation

Sample Data Record

Year, Month, Day, Hour, Minute, Second,Temperatures at 12 depths starting with the shallowest (check by seeing which has more variability due to surface temperature fluctuation).

3. Data Access and Tools

Data Access

Available via FTP

Volume

2 Megabytes

Related Data Collections

• Continuous GPS (static) Data from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
• Iceberg Harmonic Tremor Seismometer Data, Antarctica
• Ice Shelf Rift Time-Lapse Photography, Antarctica
• Iceberg Tiltmeter Measurements, Antarctica

4. Data Acquisition and Processing

Theory of Measurements

Firn Temperature Data from near the calving front of the Ross Ice Shelf (at an AWS/GPS station called "Nascent Iceberg"). Data are accurate to at least 0.1 degree Centigrade, and are in degrees Centigrade. Vertical spacing was maintained by placing the sensors in a PVC pipe that was threaded down a 16 meter bore hole in the firn surface.

Sensor or Instrument Description

Sensors used are 1000-Ohm Platinum RTDs (Resistance Temperature Detectors), manufactured by Honeywell, model number HEL-705-T-0-12-00. Temperature measurements are made using 4-wire half-bridge on a CR10X data logger (Campbell Scientific). Data are recorded once each hour and transmitted through ARGOS telemetry system. The standard uncertainty of temperature measurements is considered no worse than 0.05 degrees Celsius.

5. References and Related Publications

Sergienko, O. V., D. R. MacAyeal and J. E. Thom, 2008. Reconstruction of snow/firn thermal diffusivities from observed temperature variation: application to iceberg C16 (Ross Sea, Antarctica), 2004-07. Ann. Glaciol., Vol. 49, in press.

The following related documents are available on NSIDC's Web site.

Related Documents

Document	Description	URL
Continuous GPS (static) Data from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica	related Iceberg data	http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0347.html
Iceberg Harmonic Tremor Seismometer Data, Antarctica	related Iceberg data	http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0349.html
Giant Icebergs of the Ross Sea, in situ Drift and Weather Measurements, Antarctica	related Iceberg data	http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0350.html

6. Document Information

Acronyms

The following acronyms are used in this document.

Table X. Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acronym	Description
FTP	File Transfer Protocol
NSIDC	National Snow and Ice Data Center
URL	Uniform Resource Locator

Document Creation Date

December 2008

Document URL

http://nsidc.org/data/docs/agdc/nsidc0354_macayeal/index.html