NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) Observations during the Marginal Ice Zone Experiment, between Spitzbergen and Greenland, June 7 to 18 July 1984

Abstract : The marginal ice zone (MIZ) is the region in which the polar air, ice and water masses interact with the temperate air and ocean masses. During MIZEX-84 an intensive effort was made to obtain an integrated data set including meteorology, oceanography and glaciology, using remote sensing as well as conventional in situ observation methods, in the MIZ between Spitzbergen and Greenland from 7 June to 18 July 1984. This report gives NOAA AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) satellite imagery near-visual and infrared overviews of the Fram Strait and the large-scale surrounding area. For near-visual imagery phenomena of particular interest, e.g., mesoscale vortices, the focus of attention is on off- and on-air circulation, island lee effects and synoptic low development. Features of special interest are noted and important small scale phenomena are enlarged if they are not prominent on the overview images. An appendix provides satellite images and surface charts showing day to day development over the MIZEX-84 area 7 June-18 July. Keywords: Arctic regions; Mesoscale eddies; Air water interactions; Satellite meteorology.