A U.S. Navy-led international team has deployed buoys in the Arctic ocean to collect weather and oceanographic data as part of the International Arctic Buoy Program.The U.S. National Ice Center launched Air Expendable Ice Beacons from the Danish air force’s C-130 aircraft to gather data that can help develop environmental models and boost forecasting capacities in the Arctic region, the Navy said Tuesday.
USNIC worked alongside the Office of Naval Research, Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, the Danish joint Arctic command, Environmental and Climate Change Canada and the University of Washington to perform the IABP mission.
“The buoys will provide data for 3-5 years providing operational and scientific community’s access to the in-situ observations available to all forecasters and researchers through the International Arctic Buoy Program,” said Lt. Emily Motz, coordinator for the Arctic Buoy Program at the U.S. National Ice Center.
Cmdr. Ruth Lane, commanding officer at the U.S. National Ice Center, said that the data gathered from the AXIB buoys can potentially aid the numerical weather prediction activities of the IABP team.
The Navy noted that the buoy mission will also provide data to support the Seasonal Ice Zone Reconnaissance Surveys program under the ONR Arctic and Global Prediction Program.
