Data Set Documentation

Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX), 1988-1989

Information in this document has been derived from documentation files on NSIDC's CD-ROM titled Eastern Arctic Ice, Ocean and Atmosphere Data, Volume 1: CEAREX-1, version 1.0, 8/91.

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Summary

Note: This data set is now on FTP so references to CD-ROM are historic and no longer applicable.

Bathymetry, biophysical, hydrography, meteorology, noise, sample position, and sea ice data collected during the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX) are available in ASCII format on FTP. The data were collected in the Norwegian and Greenland Seas north to Svalbard from September 1988 through May 1989. Some data from the Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX), the Eurasian Basin Experiment (EUBEX), and the Seasonal Ice Zone Experiment (SIZEX) are included. In addition to more than 200 data files and 16 program files, the CEAREX data set contains documentation files that describe each type of data collected.

Table of Contents

1. Data Set Overview
2. Investigators
3. Theory of Measurements (section not used)
4. Equipment
5. Data Acquisition Methods
6. Observations (section not used)
7. Data Description
8. Data Organization
9. Data Manipulations
10. Errors
11. Notes
12. Software
13. Data Access
14. Output Products and Availability
15. References
16. Acronyms and Abbreviations
17. Document Information

1. Data Set Overview

Data Set Identification

Eastern Arctic Ice, Ocean and Atmosphere Data, Volume 1: CEAREX-1, version 1.0, 8/91 (CEAREX CD-ROM)

Data Set Introduction

The CEAREX data were collected from various platforms during four CEAREX Phases:

• POLARBJORN Drift phase
• Whaler's Bay/SIZEX phase
• Oceanography Camp (O-Camp) phase
• Acoustics Camp (A-Camp) phase

The data are presented in seven directories, one for each of the data types collected:

• Bathymetry data
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Noise data
• Position data
• Sea ice data

Bathymetry data include gridded trackline data collected from the two ice floe operation camps and digital bottom bathymetry and continental topography data compiled for the Fram Strait region and a portion of the Arctic Ocean. The biophysical data include bottle sample, zooplankton sample, bioluminescence, and optics profile data. Hydrography data consist of conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD), salinity-temperature-depth (STD), and bottle data collected from the operations camps, the drifting ship POLARBJORN, and data archives. The meteorology data include MIZEX and CEAREX near-surface and upper-air measurements of wind, pressure, temperature, and humidity made from ship platforms and the operation camps. Noise data include acoustics measurements made from one of the camps and ambient noise observations made from the drifting ship. The position data are for both manned stations at the operations camps and unmanned drifting buoys. The sea ice data consist of ice accelerometer data, ice deformation data, and sea ice stress measurements.

To bring together related Eastern Arctic data sets and facilitate research use of the CEAREX data, some data from MIZEX and the Eurasian Basin Experiment (EUBEX) were included.

Documentation files for all data types are presented in the directories with the data. A copy of each documentation file is also included in a documentation subdirectory.

Production of the data set was supported by the Arctic Program of the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The Direct Research Funding Program at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the Naval Oceanographic and Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NOARL, now a part of the Naval Research Laboratory) supported the NPS scientific effort that acquired much of the meteorology data.

2. Investigators

Investigators

The Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX) data were collected and compiled through the collaborative efforts of many investigators in the earth and polar sciences. Most of the CEAREX investigators and their affiliations are identified in an Investigator Address List.

Contact Information

3. Theory of Measurements

This section is intentionally left blank.

4. Equipment

CEAREX employed a variety of sensors and platforms including accelerometers, aircraft, anemometers, barometers, bathyphotometers, CTD and STD, buoys and drifting buoys, geophones, ground stations, hydrophones, hygrometers, Nansen Bottles, rawinsondes, thermometers, ships, stress sensors, thermistors, and transponders.

5. Data Acquisition Methods

For information about data acquisition methods, please refer to the CEAREX data description document for the appropriate data type:

• Bathymetry data
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Noise data
• Sea ice data

No data acquisition information is available for the position data.

6. Observations

This section is intentionally left blank.

7. Data Description

Spatial Characteristics

Spatial Coverage

CEAREX data were collected in the Greenland and Norwegian Seas near Svalbard, north of Norway.

Spatial Coverage Map

The following map, adapted from the CEAREX Operations Plan, shows the intended areas of CEAREX operations and data collection. Thus, the key shows the proposed dates of operation, not the actual dates of operation. The map is used here to illustrate the general coverage of the CEAREX operations in the eastern Arctic.

Spatial Resolution

This field is intentionally left blank.

Projection

Scattered digital bathymetry data were converted from latitude/longitude to an X-Y Cartesian system using a Lambert's Conic Conformal transformation.

Grid Description

The digital bathymetry topography data are gridded to a 10 m by 10 m grid that extends from roughly 73 degrees north to 90 degrees north and from 60 degrees west to 60 degrees east. The trackline bathymetry data are not gridded.

Temporal Characteristics

Temporal Coverage

All CEAREX data were collected between September 1988 and April 1989.

Temporal Coverage Map

A temporal coverage map is not included in this document.

Temporal Resolution

This field is intentionally left blank.

Data Characteristics

Parameters/Variables

Please refer to the above summary of CEAREX parameters. For specific information about units of measurement, data sources, and data ranges, please refer to the CEAREX data description document for the appropriate data type:

• Bathymetry data
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Noise data
• Position data
• Sea ice data

Sample Data Record

Some sample data records are provided in the documentation files and in the above data description documents.

8. Data Organization

The directory structure is a tree structure, designed in an MS-DOS environment but similar to the directory structures on VMS, UNIX, and Macintosh platforms.

For more specific data organization information, please refer to the CEAREX data description document for the appropriate data type:

• Bathymetry data
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Noise data
• Position data
• Sea ice data

Data Format

All data are in ASCII text format and tabular form. So that they can be used on a variety of computer platforms, the data files have been converted to STREAM format in which each line ends with the carriage return and line feed characters. The files can be read using any editor or word processor. TYPE or PRINT commands can be used directly; because many of the files are quite large, these commands should be used with caution. The data files may be read using FORTRAN, C or another high-level programming language.

The files contain no special formatting characters. Because tabs are interpreted differently by different text processors, tabs have been converted to blank spaces in order to align the columns (fields).

Some of the files may appear to be double-spaced when displayed on a screen. Whether this happens depends on how your computer or terminal handles records that are longer than 80 characters. These "double-spaced" files display as single-spaced when read with a word processor such as WordPerfect.

Each documentation file describes these tables by giving the column or field width and the type of data in the field. One blank is between each field, unless otherwise specified in the documentation files.

For more specific data format information, please refer to the CEAREX data description document for the appropriate data type:

• Bathymetry data
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Noise data
• Position data
• Sea ice data

9. Data Manipulations

For information about data processing, please refer to the CEAREX data description document for the appropriate data type:

• Bathymetry data
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Sea ice data

No data processing information is available for the meteorology, noise, or position data.

10. Errors

Errors related to the hydrography CTD data have been identified.

11. Notes

Data were reviewed by the data providers (PI's) and first formatted by discipline data set managers at various institutions. The final file formatting took place at NSIDC. Errors may remain in the data files; please notify the appropriate PI or NSIDC User Services of any errors you may find, so that steps can be taken to correct them in later versions of the data set. Any work using the data should be discussed with the PI before submission for publication.

For more specific data notes, please refer to the CEAREX data description document for the appropriate data type:

• Bathymetry data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Noise data

No notes are available for the biophysical, sample position, or sea ice data.

12. Software

Software Description

The only programs are those written for use with the sampling position data. M. G. McPhee wrote the programs to assist in reading and manipulating the sampling position data; specifically, the programs perform the complex demodulation required to use these data effectively. The source code was written in C language and is provided for use WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM NSIDC. The programs are located in the directory with the sampling position data. For a special note about the file names of the C programs, please refer to the FTP directorydocumentation file.

13. Data Access

Procedures for Obtaining Data

Data are available via FTP.

Data Center Status/Plans

14. Output Products and Availability

For a list of other related sea ice products, please visit Sea Ice Products at NSIDC. This site offers a complete summary of sea ice data derived from passive microwave sensors and other sources, and is useful for users who want to compare characteristics of various sea ice products to understand their similarities and differences. This site also provides links to tools for passive microwave data and a list of other sea ice resources.

15. References

References pertinent to each data type represented on the CEAREX CD-ROM are included in the following documents:

• Bathymetry data
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Noise data
• Position data
• Sea ice data

A complete list of all references cited on the CEAREX data set is also available.

Also available is the following documentation:

• Bathymetry data - trackline and digital
• Biophysical data
• Hydrography data
• Meteorology data
• Position data
• Noise data - acoustic and ambient
• Sea ice data

16. Acronyms and Abbreviations

The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in this document.

AVHRR	Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
CEAREX	Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment
CTD	Conductivity-Temperature-Depth
EUBEZ	Eurasian Basin Experiment
MIZEX	Marginal Ice Zone Experiment
NSIDC	National Snow and Ice Data Center
ONR	Office of Naval Research
SIZEX	Seasonal Ice Zone Experiment
STD	Salinity-Temperature-Depth
URL	Uniform Resource Locator

17. Document Information

Revision Date: 03 January 2006, 23 April 2001, 03 January 1995
Review Date: 13 October 1995
Document ID: nsidc-0020
Citation: Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX). 1995. Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX), 1988-1989. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.
Document Curators: NSIDC Writers
Document URL: http://nsidc.org/data/docs/daac/nsidc0020_cearex.gd.html