Archived time-series of Atlantic Ocean meteorological variables and surface fluxes

Abstract

Time-series of monthly averages of latent, sensible and radiational heat fluxes and momentum fluxes at the surfaces of the North and South Atlantic Oceans were calculated from ship weather observations. These fluxes, together with values of meteorological variables have been averaged over entire Marsden squares (10X10° squares) for all months from January 1948 through December 1972. The method of computing fluxes from ship weather observations, listing of variables averaged, addition of sea-ice coverage of sub-polar regions, correction of albedos for the presence of sea ice, correction of infrared radiational exchange for humidity conditions of the upper atmosphere, and format of the data on magnetic tapes are described. Statistics of the fluxes and variables have been computed. Standard data tapes containing these time series and statistics are available.