iCOADS

Long term means (1950-1979): 2x2 based on Release 3.0 enhanced summaries
Long term means (1971-2000): 2x2 based on Release 3.0 enhanced summaries
Long term means (1981-2010): 2x2 based on Release 3.0 enhanced summaries

The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) offers surface marine data spanning the past three centuries, and simple gridded monthly summary products for 2° latitude x 2° longitude boxes back to 1800—these data and products are freely distributed worldwide. As it contains observations from many different observing systems encompassing the evolution of measurement technology over hundreds of years, ICOADS is probably the most complete and heterogeneous collection of surface marine data in existence.

The datasets are subdivided into "standard" and "enhanced" products, which reflect the "trimming" (quality control) procedure used and the data mixture. In the standard products, the data have been edited using climatological 3.5 standard-deviation (sigma) limits, with the observations limited (as nearly as practical) to those from ships. In the "enhanced" products, in contrast, the data have been edited using broader 4.5 sigma limits to better represent extreme climate events, with observations from ships plus from other in situ marine platform types (e.g., drifting and moored buoys).

Simple long-term monthly means, and percentage of years with extant data making up each climatological mean value, derived from ICOADS Release 3.0 enhanced data for years 1950-1979 are available for each of the 13 variables and for years 1971 – 2000, 1981-2010 are available for each of the 22 variables.

Note that there are data only where there are observations (this is not an interpolated product).

Please acknowledge usage of the data by including text such as ICOADS data provided by the NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSD, Boulder, Colorado, USA, from their Web site at http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/ in any documents or publications using these data.

Reference:
Freeman, E., Woodruff, S. D., Worley, S. J., Lubker, S. J., Kent, E. C., Angel, W. E., Berry, D. I., Brohan, P., Eastman, R., Gates, L., Gloeden, W., Ji, Z., Lawrimore, J., Rayner, N. A., Rosenhagen, G. and Smith, S. R. (2016), ICOADS Release 3.0: a major update to the historical marine climate record. Int. J. Climatol.. doi:10.1002/joc.4775

Woodruff, S. D., Worley, S. J., Lubker, S. J., Ji, Z., Eric Freeman, J., Berry, D. I., Brohan, P., Kent, E. C., Reynolds, R. W., Smith, S. R. and Wilkinson, C. (2011), ICOADS Release 2.5: extensions and enhancements to the surface marine meteorological archive. Int. J. Climatol., 31: 951–967. doi:10.1002/joc.2103

Variables
Air Temperature (degC)
Cloudiness (okta)
Latent Heat Parameter (g/kg m/s)
Latent Heat Trans Eastward Param (g/kg m/s)
Latent Heat Trans Northward Param (g/kg m/s)
Meridional Latent Heat Parameter (g/kg m/s)
Relative Humidity (%)
Sat Sp Hum at SST minus Sp Hum (g/kg)
Scalar Wind (m/s)
Scalar Wind cubed (m**3/s**3)
Sea Level Pressure (mb)
Sea Surface Temperature (degC)
Sea-air Temperature difference (degC)
Sensible Heat Parameter (degC m/s)
Sensible Heat Trans Eastward Param (degC m/s)
Sensible Heat Trans Northward Param (degC m/s)
Specific Humidity (g/kg)
U-wind (m/s)
U-wind Stress (m^2/s^2) V-wind (m/s)
V-wind Stress (m^2/s^2)
Zonal Latent Heat Parameter (g/kg m/s)
ZonalGlobal by 2 deg
MeridionalGlobal by 2 deg
Verticalsurface  
Temporal Jan 1950 to Dec 1979 Climatology by 1 month(s)
Jan 1971 to Dec 2000 Climatology by 1 month(s)
Jan 1981 to Dec 2010 Climatology by 1 month(s)
Static?no
Volume2.8MB per all variables per month
Serverpublic:
Sourcehttp://icoads.noaa.gov/
Acquired Jun 6, 2011 (Updated Aug 2016)
APDRC contact
Supplements Readme_icoads_clima