Buoys in the North Atlantic Ocean


General Information
Datasets in the FASTEX Central Archive
Available data
Data selection page

General Information
  • Description
    Drifting or moored buoys with measurements, according to the buoy, of Air Pressure, Air Temperature, Sea Surface Temperature, Wind, Salinity and Water temperature.
  • The coverage of the normal European Group of Oceanic Stations (EGOS) from WMO/DBCP was maximized during the FASTEX experiment, north of 50N.
  • additional EGOS drifting buoys, provided by the UK Met. Office, were deployed in the upstream area (45-50N, 30-40W).
  • Up to five drifters from the French SIMBAD network were set up in the upstream area by R/V Le SUROIT during the experiment.
  • additional USA/GDC-EGOS SVP drifters were deployed in the upstream area by the Ægir during the experiment.
    • During FASTEX, EGOS members were Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and United Kingdom.
  • Processing
    The first data set was composed by data from BUOY messages, sent to the GTS and received at Météo-France/Toulouse in real time.
    It was replaced by a validated dataset in February 1998, provided in delayed time by the Centre de Météorologie Marine (CMM, Brest) of Météo-France. More information in the     buoys data set description page
  • to note: it does not include a number of real time data, not controlled by the CMM.


    • Data sets in the FASTEX Central Archive:

  • Buoys data (meteorological measurements)
  • Position of drifting buoys
  • Temperature and salinity data

    • Information on available data in the FASTEX Central Archive
  • for each buoy, number of measurements of different parameters
    • Dated: 3 Feb 1998
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