Ice mass balance (IMB) buoy data PS81/506 from Weddell Sea, Antarctica, 2013-2014. The buoy was deployed together with an automatic weather station buoy (see under related) on sea ice station PS81/506 from Research Vessel Polarstern in the Antarctic Weddell Sea in austral winter 2013 (cruise leg ANT-XXIX/6, AWECS campaign). The IMB buoy provides data between 2013-07-13T12:15:00 and 2014-02-07T01:17:00.
The IMB buoy was kindly provided by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). The IMB buoy consisted of a thermistor string of 5 m length, with a 2 cm sensor spacing. Interfaces were determined by hand. The bottom interface was determined from the existence of a knee in the temperature profile where apparent, combined with the heating cycle data. Both the amount of heating, and the ratio of heating at 60s over heating at 30s were used. This is very accurate up until ~day 300, and it is probably about +/- 4 cm after that. The snow interface was determined by the above, and looking at the knee in the temperature profile for each of the four temperature profiles during the day. This is more difficult to pick out, so accuracy here is maybe a few cm. Note flooding occurred at ~day 290 (probably up to freeboard level on ~day 278). The flooding interface was determined from day 250 on, and based mostly on the heating cycle. Clear surface snow melt on ~day 330, and IMB goes isothermal and warm on ~day 350. It may be that the thermistor string was pulled out of the ice, since it is warm at the sensors that were in the ocean.
