Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3.0 Final, Individual Reports in the International Maritime Meteorological Archive Format version 1 (IMMA1)

ICOADS R3 Final in IMMA1

ICOADS logo

This dataset, the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS), is the most widely-used freely available collection of surface marine observations, with over 455 million individual marine reports spanning 1662-2014-each containing the observations and metadata reported from a given ship, buoy, coastal platform, or oceanographic instrument, providing data for the construction of gridded analyses of sea surface temperature, estimates of air-sea interaction and other meteorological variables. ICOADS observations are assimilated into all major atmospheric, oceanic and coupled reanalyses, further widening its impact. R3, therefore includes changes designed to enable the effective exchange of information describing data quality between ICOADS, reanalysis centres, data set developers, scientists, and the public. These user-driven innovations include the assignment of a unique identifier (UID) to each marine report to enable tracing of observations, linking with reports and improved data sharing. Other revisions and extensions of the ICOADS' International Maritime Meteorological Archive (IMMA) common data format incorporate new near-surface oceanographic data elements and cloud parameters. Many new input data sources have been assembled, and updates and improvements to existing data sources, or removal of erroneous data, made. Additionally, these data are offered in NetCDF with useful metadata added in global and variable attributes of each file to make the NetCDF self-contained.

This dataset includes 2 versions of the official ICOADS Release 3 dataset: 1) the 'Total' product (denoted by 'T' in the filename) which contains all duplicates and is used for verification and research purposes; and 2) 'Final' R3, with duplicates removed, where all reports have been compared for matching dates, id's and elements observed and the best duplicate retained as the final report.

Dataset Citation

Cite as: National Centers for Environmental Information; Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado; Research Data Archive, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; NERC National Oceanography Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom; Met Office, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom; Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Meteorological Service), Germany; University of Washington, Department of Atmospheric Science; Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University (2016):International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3.0 Raw Individual Reports in the International Maritime Meteorological Archive Format version 1 (IMMA1), Revision 3.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). doi:10.7289/V5CZ3562 [access date].

Dataset Identifiers

doi:10.7289/V5CZ3562
NCEI DSI 1182_01
gov.noaa.ncdc:C00967

ISO 19115-2 Metadata

gov.noaa.ncdc:C00967

Full Text · XML

Download Data	NCEI direct download (download) Direct download links for dataset files.
Other Access	NCEI Customer Support (offlineAccess) Data in this archival information package are not currently available for public download from NCEI. Please contact NCEI Information Services directly for access to these data.
Distribution Formats	NetCDF (Version: 4) ASCII
Ordering Instructions	Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact	Customer Service DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce +1 301-713-3277 NODC.Services@noaa.gov

Time Period	1662-10 to 2014-12
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates	West: -180.0 East: 180.0 South: -90.0 North: 90.0
Spatial Coverage Map

Dataset Information	ICOADS Home Page International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Technical Information
General Documentation	NCEI Dataset Landing Page Landing page for the dataset. NCEI Marine Data Documentation Documentation of the dataset including a data description, format layout and definitions. International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Technical Information International Maritime Meteorological Archive (IMMA) Format
Processing Documents	IMMA format Description IMMA format Description NOAA ICOADS documentation describing the process and formatting of data.
Associated Resources	A Major Update to the Historical Marine Climate Record Journal article published June 2016 by Wiley (International Journal of Climatology) Freeman, E., S.D. Woodruff, S.J. Worley, S.J. Lubker, E.C. Kent, W.E. Angel, D.I . Berry, P. Brohan, R. Eastman, L. Gates, W. Gloeden, Z. Ji, J. Lawrimore, N.A. Rayner, G. Rosenhagen, and S.R. Smith, 2017: ICOADS Release 3.0: A major update to the historical marine climate record. Int. J. Climatol. (CLIMAR-IV Special Issue), 37, 2211-2237. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.4775 NCAR's International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3, Individual Observations NCAR's International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3, Individual Observations NCAR's website for ICOADS R3.0 International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3.1 Final, Individual Reports in the International Maritime Meteorological Archive Format version 1 (IMMA1) International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3.1 Final, Individual Reports in the International Maritime Meteorological Archive Format version 1 (IMMA1) Current dataset landing page with general information and access links for that dataset.

Publication Dates	publication: 2016-05-31 creation: 2016-05-31
Edition	3
Data Presentation Form	Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status	Complete - production of the data has been completed
Data Update Frequency	Not planned
Purpose	Multiple sources of historical marine observations provided in a well-documented standard format and long period of record with global coverage.
Use Limitations	No bias corrections applied to any reports.

Dataset Citation	Cite as: National Centers for Environmental Information; Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado; Research Data Archive, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; NERC National Oceanography Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom; Met Office, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom; Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Meteorological Service), Germany; University of Washington, Department of Atmospheric Science; Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University (2016):International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3.0 Raw Individual Reports in the International Maritime Meteorological Archive Format version 1 (IMMA1), Revision 3.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). doi:10.7289/V5CZ3562 [access date].
Cited Authors	DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce ICOADS Partner UCO/CIRES > Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado UCAR/NCAR/CISL/RDA > Research Data Archive, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research DOC/NOAA/ESRL > Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanography UK/NERC/NEODC > NERC National Oceanography Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom UK/MOD/MET > Met Office, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom DE/DWD > Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Meteorological Service), Germany UWA/DOA > University of Washington, Department of Atmospheric Science FSU/COAPS > Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University
Originators	DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Collaborators	ICOADS Partner UCO/CIRES > Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado UCAR/NCAR/CISL/RDA > Research Data Archive, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research DOC/NOAA/ESRL > Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanography UK/NERC/NEODC > NERC National Oceanography Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom UK/MOD/MET > Met Office, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom DE/DWD > Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Meteorological Service), Germany UWA/DOA > University of Washington, Department of Atmospheric Science FSU/COAPS > Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University
Publishers	DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce

Theme keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Atmospheric Pressure Measurements Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Pressure Tendency Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Sea Level Pressure Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Surface Pressure Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Pressure > Sea Level Pressure Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Temperature > Sea Surface Temperature Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Temperature > Water Temperature Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Waves > Sea State Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Waves > Swells Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Waves > Wave Height Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Waves > Wave Period Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Waves > Wave Speed/Direction Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Waves > Wind Waves Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Winds > Surface Winds Earth Science > Oceans > Sea Ice > Ice Edges Earth Science > Oceans > Sea Ice > Icebergs Earth Science > Oceans > Sea Ice > Sea Ice Concentration Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) Oceanic - Surface - Sea-surface Temperature Atmospheric - Surface - Air Temperature Atmospheric - Surface - Wind Speed And Direction Atmospheric - Surface - Pressure
Data Center keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Platform keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords Ships C-MAN > Coastal Marine Network Buoys Ocean Platforms MOORINGS OCEAN WEATHER STATIONS TAO > TROPICAL ATMOSPHERE OCEAN TRITON > TRIangle Trans-Ocean Buoy Network FLOATS NDBC MOORED BUOY OCEAN WEATHER STATIONS
Instrument keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords Anemometers Barometers HYGROMETERS Drifting Buoys Wind Vane Thermometers Thermometers ANEROID PRESSURE SENSOR Visual Observations
Place keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords Ocean
Project keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords ICOADS > International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set
Data Resolution keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Horizontal Data Resolution Keywords Point Resolution Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Vertical Data Resolution Keywords Point Resolution Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Temporal Data Resolution Keywords Hourly - < Daily 1 minute - < 1 hour
Stratum keywords	Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords Vertical Location > Sea Surface

Use Constraints

Cite as: National Centers for Environmental Information; Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado; Research Data Archive, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; NERC National Oceanography Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom; Met Office, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom; Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Meteorological Service), Germany; University of Washington, Department of Atmospheric Science; Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies, Florida State University (2016):International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3.0 Raw Individual Reports in the International Maritime Meteorological Archive Format version 1 (IMMA1), Revision 3.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). doi:10.7289/V5CZ3562 [access date].

Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.

Access Constraints

Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.

Fees

In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.

Lineage information for: dataset
Lineage Statement	This dataset includes 2 versions of the official ICOADS Release 3.0.0 dataset: 1) the 'Total' product (denoted by 'T' in the filename) which contains all duplicates and is used for verification and research purposes; and 2)'Final' R3.0.0, with duplicates removed, where all reports have been compared for matching dates, id's and elements observed and the best duplicate retained as the final report.
Processor	DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Processing Steps	Final Dataset after inclusion of new sources, qc and final validation. Rationale: To provide the highest quality data set.
Processing Documents	IMMA format Description IMMA format Description NOAA ICOADS documentation describing the process and formatting of data.
Source Datasets	International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Main NOAA website for ICOADS project. Description of Source: Heterogenius mixture of marine platforms and data sources Temporal extent used: 1662-10 to 2014-12 Spatial extent used: N:90 S:-90 E:180 W:-180

Lineage information for: repository
Processing Steps	2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.

Lineage information for: repository

Processing Steps

2015-04-22T00:00:00 - NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.

Last Modified: 2023-06-23
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov

International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3.0 Final, Individual Reports in the International Maritime Meteorological Archive Format version 1 (IMMA1)

ICOADS R3 Final in IMMA1

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