International Ice Patrol Iceberg Drift Tracks
Summary
The International Ice Patrol (IIP) tracks, plots and predicts iceberg positions in the North Atlantic Ocean. The IIP area of responsibility is 40 to 52 degrees North, 39 to 57 degrees West. During several years (1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, and 1989) individual icebergs were 'tagged' with buoys developed by the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center. The motion of the icebergs bearing the USCG buoys were then tracked via satellite. Observation periods range from one week to two years depending on the buoy.
The data are stored in the National Oceanographic Data Center format for drifting buoys (format number 156).
Access to the International Ice Patrol Iceberg Drift Tracks data set is unrestricted, but users are encouraged to register for the data. Registered users will receive e-mail notification about any product changes.
Citing These Data
National Snow and Ice Data Center, compiler. 1995. International Ice Patrol iceberg drift tracks. Boulder, Colorado USA: National Snow and Ice Data Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N52Z13FD
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.
Overview Table
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Data format | ASCII |
| Spatial coverage | Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea |
| Temporal coverage | 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, and 1989 |
| File size | The entire data set is 2.98 MB. |
| Parameter(s) | Iceberg position |
| Metadata access | View metadata |
| Data access | Data available via FTP. |
Table of Contents
1. Contacts
2. Overview
3. Detailed Data Description
4. Data Acquisition and Processing
5. Data Access and Related Collections
6. References and Related Publications
7. Acknowledgements
8. Document Information
1. Contacts
Investigator
Don Murphy
IIP, Groton, CT 06340-6095
Technical Contact
NSIDC User Services
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0449 USA
phone: +1 303.492.6199
fax: +1 303.492.2468
form: Contact NSIDC User Services
e-mail: nsidc@nsidc.org
2. Overview
Ships transiting between Europe and east coast ports of Canada and the US traverse a great circle route that brings them into the vicinity of icebergs carried south by the cold Labrador Current near the Grand Banks. It was here that the R.M.S. TITANIC sank in 1912, after it struck an iceberg. This disaster resulted in the loss of 1517 lives and led directly to the founding of the IIP in 1914. The mission of the IIP is to monitor iceberg danger near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and provide the limits of all known ice to the maritime community. The IIP does this by sighting icebergs (primarily through airborne Coast Guard reconnaissance missions), plotting and predicting iceberg drift using a model, and, every 12 hours during the ice season, estimating the "limit of all known ice”. This limit, along with a few of the more critical predicted iceberg locations, is broadcast by radio stations and made available on line as an "Ice Bulletin". Twice daily, a radio facsimile chart of the area, depicting the limits of all known ice, is broadcast. The IIP broadcasts its products during the time of year that icebergs threaten shipping. This varies, but usually begins in February and ends in July.
NSIDC archives this data set for the IIP. Other products, including a scientific reports bibliography and iceberg limit climatology, are available on the IIP Web site.
3. Detailed Data Description
Each file contains the data for an individual buoy deployed and tracked by the U.S. Coast Guard. The FORTRAN routine, read_drifter.f, was developed on an SGI running IRIX 4.0.1 and is intended as a template only and should be updated by the user for the appropriate opperating system.
Note that the deployment time in the data file itself may not match the deployment time contained in the references. The deployment time in the references is the actual time the buoy was deployed by the Coast Guard. The initial time in the data file is the first valid data record after the buoy was deployed on an iceberg. Additionally, the header records for buoys 00050 and 2611 contained an error in the deployment date and location. This error, caused by a software problem at IIP, was corrected at NSIDC to properly reflect the first data record, based on information received from IIP.
Buoy 2575, contained in file 02575.ndc, was initially deployed on iceberg in August of 1980. This iceberg never moved from this initial position. The buoy was retrieved by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Westwind in July of 1981 and the buoy was subsequently redeployed to a new iceberg in August of 1981.
| File | Contains the data for a buoy deployed in: |
|---|---|
| 00160.ndc | February 1977 |
| 01567.ndc | February 1977 |
| 00050.ndc | January 1978 |
| 01344.ndc | January 1978 |
| 01568.ndc | January 1978 |
| 00066.ndc | February 1978 |
| 01372.ndc | February 1978 |
| 02575.ndc | August 1980 |
| 02576.ndc | August 1980 |
| 02577.ndc | August 1980 |
| 02578.ndc | August 1980 |
| 02579.ndc | August 1980 |
| 25800.ndc | August 1980 |
| 02611.ndc | March 1983 |
| 02618.ndc | March 1983 |
| 02625.ndc | March 1983 |
| 02612.ndc | March 1989 |
| 04500.ndc | March 1989 |
| 04504.ndc | June 1989 |
| 25809.ndc | June 1989 |
| read_drifter.f | Program to read data into a FORTRAN structure |
Parameters
Iceberg position
Format
Each file contains the following data records in accordance with the NODC data format for drifting buoy data, format number F156. See Sample Data record below.
| Header Record | Start | Length |
|---|---|---|
| NODC File Number: Always 156 | 1 | 3 |
| NODC track number: Blank field | 4 | 6 |
| Record Number: Always 'A' for the header record | 10 | 1 |
| Drogue Number: The drogue or buoy number | 11 | 5 |
| Drogue Type: Always ARGOS | 16 | 5 |
| Principal Investigator | 21 | 15 |
| Institution or Agency | 36 | 15 |
| Platform Name: Blank field | 51 | 12 |
| Buoy Number: Always 00000 | 63 | 5 |
| Launch Summary Record | Start | Length |
|---|---|---|
| NODC File Number: Always 156 | 1 | 3 |
| NODC track number: Blank field | 4 | 6 |
| Record Number: Always 'B' for launch summary | 10 | 1 |
| Drogue Number: The drogue or buoy number | 11 | 5 |
| Launch Position: Deployment position - Latitude: (DDMMSS) Degrees Minutes Seconds | 16 | 6 |
| Latitude Hemisphere: Always 'N' | 22 | 1 |
| Longitude: (DDDMMSS) Degrees Minutes Seconds | 23 | 7 |
| Longitude Hemisphere: Always 'W' | 30 | 1 |
| End position: The last valid data position - Latitude: (DDMMSS) Degrees Minutes Seconds | 31 | 6 |
| Latitude Hemisphere: Always 'N' | 37 | 1 |
| Longitude: (DDDMMSS) Degrees Minutes Seconds | 38 | 7 |
| Longitude Hemisphere: Always 'W' | 45 | 1 |
| Launch Date: YYMMDD (GMT) | 46 | 6 |
| Launch Time: HHMM (GMT) | 52 | 4 |
| End Date: YYMMDD (GMT) | 56 | 6 |
| End Time: HHMM (GMT) | 62 | 4 |
| Drogue Depth: N/A | 66 | 4 |
| Date Record | Start | Length |
|---|---|---|
| NODC File Number: Always 156 | 1 | 3 |
| NODC track number: Blank field | 4 | 6 |
| Record Number: Always 'C' for data | 10 | 1 |
| Drogue Number: The drogue or buoy number | 11 | 5 |
| Observed Position: Deployment position - Latitude: (DDMMSS) Degrees Minutes Seconds | 16 | 6 |
| Latitude Hemisphere: Always 'N' 22 1 - Longitude: (DDDMMSS) Degrees Minutes Seconds | 23 | 7 |
| Longitude Hemisphere: Always 'W' | 30 | 1 |
| Observed Date: YYMMDD (GMT) | 31 | 6 |
| Observed Time: HHMM (GMT) | 37 | 4 |
| Surface Temperature: Always 000 | 41 | 3 |
| Sequence Number: Observation number in ascending order | 77 | 4 |
| Text Record | Start | Length |
|---|---|---|
| NODC File Number: Always 156 | 1 | 3 |
| NODC track number: Blank field | 4 | 6 |
| Record Number: Always 'T' | 10 | 1 |
| Drogue Number: The drogue or buoy number | 11 | 5 |
| Text Record: Comments | 16 | 61 |
Sample Data Record
Sample Header Record
156 A00066TIROSR. Q. ROBE USCG R&D CENTER 00000
Sample Launch Summary Record
156 B00066625736N0625100W621347N0650000W78020813527809010800N/A
Sample Date Record
156 C00066625736N0625100W7802081352000 0001 156 C00066630000N0625211W7802090428000 0002 156 C00066625811N0624947W7802090803000 0003 156 C00066625847N0625211W7802091314000 0004 156 C00066625811N0624947W7802100907000 0005
Sample Text Record
156 T00066 THIS BUOY WAS DEPLOYED ON A BERG THAT WAS 300M LONG AND 0496 156 T00066 30-40M HIGH. REF: ROBE, R.Q. AND D.C. MAIER, 1979, LONG- 0497 156 T00066 TERM TRACKING OF ARTIC ICEBERGS REPORT CG-D-36-79. REPORT 0498 156 T00066 CAN BE ACQUIRED USING U.S. NTIS GOVT ACCESSION # ADA072473. 0499
File Size
The entire data set is 2.98 MB.
4. Data Acquisition and Processing
Data were acquired by tracking drifting buoys via satellite.
5. Data Access and Related Collections
Data Access
Data available via FTP.
Related NSIDC Data Collections
International Ice Patrol Iceberg Sightings Database
6. References and Related Publications
Visit the International Ice Patrol Scientific Bibliography
National Oceanographic Data Center Users Guide, 1992 Robe, R.Q. and D.C. Maier, 1979, Long-Term Tracking of Arctic Icebergs, U.S. Coast Guard Report CG-D-36-79. NTIS #: ADA072473
Robe, R.Q., 1982, Iceberg Drift Near Greenland, U.S. Coast Guard Report CG-D-36-82. NTIS # ADA121586
Anderson, I., 1983, Oceanographic Conditions on the Grand Banks during the 1983 International Ice Patrol Season. Report of the International Ice Patrol in the North Atlantic, Appendix B, CG-188-38
Murphy, D.L. and Wright, G.F., 1989, Iceberg Movement Determined by Satellite Tracked Platforms, Report of the International Ice Patrol in the North Atlantic, Appendix C, CG-188-44
7. Acknowledgements
This data set is maintained at NSIDC with support from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
8. Document Information
Document Authors
Unknown
Document Creation Date
Unknown
Document Revision Date
In July 2006, this document was reformatted. F. Fetterer reviewed this document.
Document URL
http://nsidc.org/data/docs/noaa/g00874_iceberg_drift_tracks/index.html
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