The U.S. Interagency Arctic Buoy Program (USIABP) will provide the Management structure and coordination necessary to establish and maintain a baseline network of drifting buoys of sufficient spatial resolution and longevity to define surface synoptic scale atmospheric pressure, air temperature and sea ice drift fields in the Arctic. This data can separated into two separate categories: A) Near real-time data for operational use in weather and sea ice forecasting. These data are processed by System Argos and distributed via the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Telecommunication System (GTS). B) "Historical" data that are processed, quality controlled and archived to meet the established needs of the scientific research community. //
