Sea Ice data from ARSV Laurence M. Gould and RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer cruises LMG0106, LMG0205, NBP0104, and NBP0204 in the Southern Ocean from 2001-2002 (SOGLOBEC project; Sea Ice Microbes project) (NCEI Accession 0112820)

OPEN WATER (OpnWtrCode) :
Code --- Description
0 --- No openings
1 --- Small cracks
2 --- Very narrow breaks, <50m
50m 50m 50m 3 --- Narrow breaks, 50-200 m
4 --- Wide breaks, 200-500 m
5 --- Very wide breaks, >500 m
6 --- Lead/coastal lead
7 --- Polynya/coastal polynya
8 --- Water broken only by small scattered floes
9 --- Open sea

ICE CONCn (IceCon): to be expressed in tenths.

ICE TYPE (ITypeCode) :
Code --- Description
10 --- Frazil
11 --- Shuga
12 --- Grease
20 -- Nilas
30 --- Pancakes
40 --- Young grey ice, 0.1-0.15 m
50 --- Young grey-white ice, 0.15-0.3 m
60 --- First year, 0.3-0.7 m
70 --- First year, 0.7-1.2 m
80 --- First year, >1.2 m
85 --- Multiyear floes
90 --- Brash
95 --- Fast ice

SEA ICE (IThkns) AND SNOWTHICKNESS (SnoThkns): to be expressed in centimetres.

FLOE SIZE (FloSzCode):
Code --- Description
100 --- Pancakes
200 --- New sheet ice
300 --- Brash/broken ice
400 --- Cake ice, <20 m
20 20 20 500 --- Small floes, 20-100 m
600 --- Medium floes, 100-500 m
700 --- Large floes, 500-2000 m
800 --- Vast floes, >2000 m

SNOW TYPE (SnoTypCode):
Code --- Description
0 --- No snow observation
1 --- No snow, no ice or brash
2 --- Cold new snow, < 1 day old
3 --- Cold old snow
4 --- Cold wind-packed snow
5 --- New melting snow (wet new snow)
6 --- Old melting snow
7 --- Glaze
8 --- Melt slush
9 --- Melt puddles
10 --- Saturated snow (waves)
11 --- Sastrugi

TOPOGRAPHY (TopoCode):
Code Description
100 Level ice
200 Rafted pancakes
300 Cemented pancakes
400 Finger rafting
5xy New, unconsolidated ridges (no snow)
6xy New ridges filled with snow or a snow cover
7xy Consolidated ridges (no weathering)
8xy Older, weathered ridges
x values Areal Coverage
0 0-10%
1 10-20%
2 20-30%
3 30-40%
4 40-50%
5 50-60%
6 60-70%
7 70-80%
8 80-90%
9 90-100%
y values Avg. Sail Height
1 0.5 m
2 1.0 m
3 1.5 m
4 2.0 m
5 3.0 m
6 4.0 m
7 5.0 m

The following weather observation codes and descriptions are from the "National Weather Service Observing Handbook No. 1", Marine Surface Weather Observations, August 1995. U.S. Department of Commerce, Silver Spring, MD.

VISIBILITY (visib):
Code --- Visibility in m/km
90 --- less than 50 m
91 --- 50 but less than 200 m
92 --- 200 but less than 500 m
93 --- 500 but less than 1000 m
94 --- > 1 but less than 2 km
95 --- > 2 but less than 4 km
96 --- > 4 but less than 10 km
97 --- > 10 but less than 20 km
98 --- > 20 but less than 50 km
99 --- > 50 km or more

TOTAL CLOUD COVER (cldcvr): to be expressed in eighths; -1 = Sky obscured by fog, snow or other met. phenom.

PRESENT WEATHER (wx):
Code Description
Change of sky during past hour
0 Cloud development not observable
1 Clouds dissolving or becoming less developed
2 State of the sky on the whole unchanged
3 Clouds generally forming or developing
Phenomena in past hour but not at time of obs
28 Fog (in past hour, but not at time of obs.)

36 Slight or moderate drifting snow, low (below eye level)
37 Heavy drifting snow, low (below eye level)
38 Slight or moderate drifting snow, high (above eye level)
39 Heavy drifting snow, high (above eye level)
Fog at the time of observation
41 Sky visible
Fog in patches (visibility may be greater than 1/2 nm)
42 Sky visible
Fog has become thinner in past hour
43 Sky invisible
For has become thinner in past hour
44 Sky visible
Fog, no change in past hour
45 Sky invisible
Fog, no change in past hour
46 Sky visible
Fog has begun or thickened in past hour
47 Sky invisible
Fog has begun or thickened in past hour
Drizzle
50 Intermittent
Slight drizzle
56 Slight
Freezing drizzle
Rain (Not falling as showers)
60 Intermittent
Slight rain
Solid precipitation not falling as showers
70 Intermittent
Slight snow in flakes
71 Continuous
Slight snow in flakes
72 Intermittent
Moderate snow in flakes
73 Continuous
Moderate snow in flakes
74 Intermittent
Heavy snow in flakes
75 Continuous
Heavy snow in flakes
76 Diamond dust (with or without fog)
77 Snow grains (with or without fog)
Solid precipitation in showers
85 Slight
Shower of snow
86 Moderate or heavy
Shower of snow

Acquisition Description:

Sea ice observations on the Southern Ocean GLOBEC cruises were conducted according to standardized protocols developed and utilized by members of the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate working group (co-sponsored by SCAR and GlOCHANT).

Routine observations of sea ice and snow characteristics were routinely collected on an hourly basis while the L.M. Gould was actively steaming throughout the cruise. These observations began on 26 July 2001 and continued through 27 August 2001. The observational protocol followed during the cruise was the protocol that is formally endorsed by the SCAR ASPeCt (Antarctic Sea ice Processes and Climate) program for observing sea ice characteristics. In short, our program (combined efforts of BG-244 as well as OG-241) was able to gather the information that will be used to characterize the predominate types of ice in the region according to parameters, such as areal coverage, floe size, ice thickness, snow type, snow thickness and deformation.

In this accession, NCEI has archived multiple versions of these data. The latest (and best) version of these data has the largest version number.