LEADEX Field Campaign
Model Initialization Data
Ships and submarines have historically used leads, or sea ice fractures, to navigate Arctic waters. Scientists study leads to better understand their roles in arctic climatology and global climate change. Leads, particularly those exposing warm ocean water to cold arctic air, influence the energy balance at polar latitudes by contributing to the atmospheric heat flux. Because the poles act as heat sinks in the global energy balance, lead formation, evolution and distribution in the polar regions is important. The objective of the Arctic Leads ARI was to gain a better understanding of lead dynamics. As part of the project, the Arctic Leads ARI Data Set was created to encourage the assembly of an arctic leads climatology.
This case study presents data from 1 March 1992 to 30 April 1992 and covers a region from 65N to 80N latitude and from 180W to 120W longitude.
6-hourly NCEP Reanalysis data are available here for certain pressure level, surface, and surface flux variables.
- Air temperature, Geopotential height, and U-wind and V-wind data are available at 10, 20, 30, 50, 70, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 850, 925, 1000 mb.
- Relative humidity and Specific humidity data are available at 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 850, 925, 1000 mb.
- Vertical velocity data are available at 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 850, 925, 1000 mb.
- Surface pressure, Sea-level pressure, Surface Temperature, Soil Temperature (0-10 cm), Soil Temperature (10-200 cm), Soil moisture (0-10 cm), and Soil Moisture(10-200 cm) data are available at a single level.
- A land/sea map and surface height map are also available.
You may:
- Read NCEP data README
- Download all NCEP levels and variables in one archive
- Download selected files
- Browse NCEP data for selected levels and variables