| Summary: | This data set represents the results of calculations carried out on sea-ice-concentration data from the SMMR and SSM/I instruments. The original data were obtained from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). The data set also contains the source code of the programs that made the calculations. The objective was to derive monthly averages for the whole 13.25-year series (1978-1991) and to derive a composite series of monthly averages representing the variation of an average year. The resulting file set contains monthly images for each of the polar regions for each year, yielding 160 files for each pole, and composite monthly averages in which the years are combined, yielding 12 more files. Averaging the images in this way tends to reduce the number of grid cells that lack valid data; the composite averages are designed to suppress interannual variability. Also included in the data set are programs that can retrieve seasonal ice-concentration profiles at user-specified locations. These nongraphical data retrieval programs are provided in versions for UNIX, extended DOS, and Macintosh computers. Graphical browse utilities are included for the same computing platforms but require more sophisticated display systems.
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