Polar Science Center International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP)

The Polar Science Center (PSC) of the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, in collaboration with the participants of the International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP), has maintained a network of drifting buoys on the sea ice of the Arctic Basin since 1979. These buoys measure pressure, temperature, position, and a host of other meteorological quantities which are transmitted and collected via Argos. These data are used for meteorological, climatological, and oceanographic purposes and serve both research and operational needs. Traditionally, these data are archived at the World Data Center for Glaciology at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Researchers who wished to use the data were required to contact nsidc which would send the user magnetic tapes of the desired data by mail. Needless to say, access to the data would take at least a few days.

To expedite the process, an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server was installed in 1987. This service provided users immediate access to the data via the Internet. In 1994, an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) server was installed so that users could access the data via the World Wide Web. Graphical figures, as well as animated computer demonstrations of the data, have also been made available. Many of these figures, such as the map below, were sent to users regularly by mail but are now distributed mainly through the Web.

Figure 1 : Current positions of buoys in Arctic Basin

Typical users of the data are scientists from various research institutions, who use the data to study topics ranging from pollutant transport by sea ice to global climate change. Operationally, the data are used for forecasting the weather and ice conditions.

Officially, we have over 200 users internationally. Access logs from the Web server, however, show that the Web server is currently accessed by over 500 different users each month.

Future enhancements are planned to take advantage of the many improvements in Web browsers. Each year, for example, data reports for the buoys are published and mailed. Digital versions of these reports can easily be made available on the Web.

The Web (ftp/http) address of the International Arctic Buoy Program is http://IABP.apl.washington.edu/.

Acknowledgements: The International Arctic Buoy Program at the Polar Science Center is funded by the National Ice Center, which represents several U.S. agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Office of Naval Research, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The picture of the polar bear inspecting a buoy was taken by D. G. Barton, U.S Coast Guard (retired).