Rückert, Janna Elisabeth; Brechtelsbauer, Stefanie; Bühler, Linnu; Walbröl, Andreas (2026): Snow and surface scattering layer height measurements during RV POLARSTERN cruise PS149 [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.995110 (DOI registration in progress)
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Published: 2026-05-21
Abstract:
During the Polarstern cruise PS149 from July 2025 to August 2025 in the Atlantic part of the Arctic a regular foldable wooden ruler was used to measure the height of the snow and the surface scattering layer during 30 ice stations. A clear distinction between snow and SSL was not done or was not possible (except for the snow pit measurements, indicated by the Location column) and because the SSL could potentially be penetrated by the ruler, it is a combined measurement. Thus, these measurements were taken at the "Snow+surface scattering layer, height [cm]" where 0 cm is either the ice-SSL interface, an interface within the SSL or the snow-SSL interface. Measurements (except during ice station with label PS149_30-1) were done within the vicinity of the footprint of the onboard microwave radiometers installed for the VAMPIRE project (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.990497) (that is, in about 25 m distance to the port bow of Polarstern), further refined in the "Location" column. The ice stations lasted two to three days (day at station is included in the dataset), and the floes (named '1', '2', and '3') were revisited. The "Station label" contained in the dataset gives the number of the visit (indicated by 'a','b', 'c', and 'd') and the floe name (e.g., '2a' refers to the the first visit of floe 2). For more information about these measurements the user is referred to Chapter 3 of the cruise report.
Related to:
Bühler, Linnu; Rückert, Janna Elisabeth; Walbröl, Andreas; Mech, Mario; Krobot, Pavel; Ebell, Kerstin; Schnitt, Sabrina; Spreen, Gunnar (2026): Water vapor, mixed-phase clouds, precipitation and sea ice emissivity over the Central Arctic Ocean (VAMPIRE-2): remote sensing and in-situ measurements suite during POLARSTERN cruise PS149 (CONTRASTS) [dataset bibliography]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.990497
Nicolaus, Marcel (2026): The Expedition PS149 of the Research Vessel POLARSTERN to the Arctic Ocean in 2025. Berichte zur Polar- und Meeresforschung = Reports on Polar and Marine Research, 808, 382 pp, https://doi.org/10.57738/BZPM_0808_2026
Project(s):
Arctic Amplification (AC3)
Funding:
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven (AWI), grant/award no. AWI_PS149_07: VAMPIRE-2
German Research Foundation (DFG), grant/award no. 268020496: TRR 172: ArctiC Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and SurfaCe Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms
Coverage:
Median Latitude: 83.639636 * Median Longitude: 7.780269 * South-bound Latitude: 82.411350 * West-bound Longitude: -17.902200 * North-bound Latitude: 84.944320 * East-bound Longitude: 33.998100
Date/Time Start: 2025-07-09T17:48:00 * Date/Time End: 2025-08-27T13:25:00
Minimum Elevation: -4693.8 m * Maximum Elevation: -3011.6 m
Event(s):
PS149_13-1 (Ice Station 1a) * Latitude Start: 83.804469 * Longitude Start: 20.753587 * Latitude End: 83.856951 * Longitude End: 24.252349 * Date/Time Start: 2025-07-09T06:32:22 * Date/Time End: 2025-07-12T18:25:00 * Elevation Start: -4073.9 m * Elevation End: -4071.5 m * O2A Registry URI: https://registry.o2a-data.de/items/8891 * Campaign: PS149 (CONTRASTS; ArcWatch 3) * Basis: Polarstern * Method/Device: Ice station (ICE) * Comment: # Ice Station 1a; Sea ice 1.4m thick on Gangway
PS149_13-2 * Latitude: 83.781185 * Longitude: 20.796691 * Date/Time: 2025-07-09T11:37:09 * Elevation: -4075.2 m * O2A Registry URI: https://registry.o2a-data.de/items/5460 * Campaign: PS149 (CONTRASTS; ArcWatch 3) * Basis: Polarstern * Method/Device: CTD/Rosette (CTD-RO) * Comment: 4042 m; EL31; failure altimeter software
PS149_13-3 * Latitude Start: 83.762079 * Longitude Start: 20.840436 * Latitude End: 83.761559 * Longitude End: 20.842474 * Date/Time Start: 2025-07-09T14:30:09 * Date/Time End: 2025-07-09T14:35:09 * Elevation Start: -4078.0 m * Elevation End: -4077.5 m * O2A Registry URI: https://registry.o2a-data.de/items/3167 * Campaign: PS149 (CONTRASTS; ArcWatch 3) * Basis: Polarstern * Method/Device: Hand net (HN)
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Event label | Event | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | Ice station | ||
| 2 | DATE/TIME | Date/Time | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | Geocode | ||
| 3 | LATITUDE | Latitude | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | Geocode | ||
| 4 | LONGITUDE | Longitude | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | Geocode | ||
| 5 | Location | Location | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | |||
| 6 | Snow depth | Snow depth | m | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | Ruler stick (RULER) | |
| 7 | Surface scattering layer, height | SSL height | m | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | Ruler stick (RULER) | |
| 8 | Snow+surface scattering layer, height | Snow+SSL height | cm | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | Ruler stick (RULER) | |
| 9 | Observer | Observer | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | |||
| 10 | Comment | Comment | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | |||
| 11 | Station label | Station | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | |||
| 12 | Time in days | Time d | days | Rückert, Janna Elisabeth | at station |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC)
Size:
1113 data points