Dataset release: Observations from the Svalbard Marginal Ice Zone in April - May 2024
A new open access dataset from the Svalbard Marginal Ice Zone Campaign 2024 (SvalMIZ-24) is now available. The dataset includes observations of air temperature, wave spectra, and sea-ice drift collected during April and May 2024 from a distributed network of buoys deployed on the sea ice north of Svalbard.
Deployment of an OpenMetBuoy on the sea ice, from the Norwegian Coast Guard ship KV-Svalbard. Deployment includes buoy setup, ice and snow thickness measurements, and measurement of snow density. Photo credit: Malte Müller, Norwegian Meteorological Institute
The campaign was carried out in collaboration with the Norwegian Coast Guard and deployed 34 OpenMetBuoy (OMB-v2021) instruments across the marginal ice zone. Each buoy recorded GPS positions, energy wave spectra, and temperature at several vertical levels, including 1 m above the surface and at the snow-ice interface. The deployment captured a period of changing weather, transitioning from a cold-air outbreak to a warm-air intrusion and wave event, resulting in significant ice edge retreat and dynamic coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean conditions.
The dataset provides a time series of drift, wave statistics, and temperature from up to 20 buoys operating simultaneously over several weeks, with a typical spacing of 40-100 km. Wave data were derived from raw vertical accelerations, processed into 1D spectra and summary statistics. Air and surface temperature measurements were calibrated against reference sensors before deployment, and quality flags are included to identify periods potentially affected by solar heating or flooding of the ice floe. Snow and ice conditions at each site were documented during deployment and are available as supporting data.
Overview of the trajectories of the 34 OMBs deployed during the SvalMIZ-24 experiment. The AMSR2 sea ice concentration background is a snapshot at 10 April 10, 2024,10Z. Figure from Müller et al., 2025. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.11761.60004.
The dataset has been processed and quality-checked by MET Norway and other partners. It is provided in CF-compliant netCDF format, along with CSV files containing snow depth and ice thickness measurements. Documentation and data access are available via Zenodo, and the associated code and metadata are maintained on GitHub.
A detailed description of the dataset, instrumentation, and campaign context is provided in the accompanying paper manuscript, which is available as a preprint.
These observations offer a useful resource for model validation and for understanding coupled processes in the marginal ice zone. The dataset is intended to support ongoing research within the PCAPS community and beyond. It already served as the foundation for both the newly established Distributed Observational Networks to Advance Coupled Forecasting Systems PCAPS Task Team and the PCAPS-endorsed international model intercomparison study workshop in Oslo in February 2025, which brought together researchers from operational centers and academia.
Participants discussed the evaluations of atmosphere-ice-ocean forecasts with the buoy data to advance their performance in the marginal ice zone. The event highlighted the value of such distributed in situ observations for advancing coupled modeling systems and informed recommendations for future coordinated efforts. Read the full BAMS meeting summary for more details.