Marine surface data are segregated from
Global Telecommunication
System (GTS) data stream at the National Center for Environmental
Prediction (NCEP). The GTS records have global distribution
and are from ships, buoys,
and other platforms at frequencies native to each respective
observing system. The data include many parameters from complete
ship surface meteorological observations (wind, atmospheric pressure and
and temperature, cloudiness, sea surface temperature, etc.) to
limited variables from drifting buoy observations (sea surface temperature
and atmospheric pressure). Beginning in March 1997
these data have been collected and archived primarily
to support the development of the International Comprehensive
Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). Periodically, the
GTS data are processed, quality assurance checked,
combined with other data sources, and included in ICOADS.
These data may be suitable for some very specific studies,
but it is generally recommended that ICOADS be used
instead.
The
ICOADS observations and
ICOADS
monthly summary statistics are
also available, as is much more information
on the ICOADS project
website
