North Pole Environmental Observatory NPEO J-CAD Drifting Buoy Data Arctic Ocean 2000-2002

This data set contains drifting buoy measurements taken from the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) Compact Arctic Drifters (J-CADs). The J-CAD buoys drift with the ice pack, collecting navigational, atmospheric, and oceanographic measurements, and transmitting the data via satellite. Since 2000, investigators have been conducting operations of the J-CADs to measure the structure of upper-ocean currents and water properties under the multi-year ice of the Arctic Ocean for a better understanding of the role the Arctic Ocean plays in global climate. This data set contains measurements from J-CAD buoys 1, 3, and 4, from years 2000-2002. For each buoy it takes approximately one year to drift through the Arctic Ocean, pass through Fram Strait into the Greenland Sea, and reach the ice edge, where transmission ceases. This research was funded by the Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program, grant number OPP-9910305.