About Unaami Arctic Data Collection

  • The Unaami Data Collection
  • Data/Metadata Standards
  • Acknowledgment When Using
    Unaami Data

	Related Links ...
	• NOAA Artic Theme Page • The SEARCH Science Plan 2001 • Large Scale Observations Workshop

The Unaami Data Collection

The concept of Unaami is clearly stated in the 2001 Science Plan for the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH):

"It is clear that a complex suite of significant interrelated, atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial changes has occurred in the Arctic in recent decades. This event is affecting every part of the arctic environment and is having repercussions on society. There is evidence that these changes are connected with the rising trend in the Arctic Oscillation (AO), a mode of atmospheric variability that is potentially active over a broad range of time scales, including climatic time scales, and that involves changes in the strength of the atmospheric polar vortex. There is theoretical evidence that the positive trend observed in the AO index might be indicative of greenhouse warming. It is unclear what feedback processes on climate or ecosystems may be involved in the recent changes, or what the long-term impacts may be. However, observations suggest the impact at high latitudes is substantial and the impact at middle latitudes is significant. Because the observed changes have made it harder for those who live in the North to predict what the future may bring, we have given the name Unaami (the yup'ik word for "tomorrow") to the complex of intertwined, pan-arctic changes."

The Unaami Data Collection is an interdisciplinary, diverse collection of Arctic variables which represent different geographic regions and data types. The time series extend from 1970 to the present. The Unaami Data Collection includes both basic physical meteorological and oceanographic data and "impact data" such as fisheries, marine mammals, ozone and plant changes. In these web pages, we provide free, full and uniform access to this unique collection of Arctic time series and to our analyses.

Data and Metadata Standards

Unaami data can be downloaded in simple ASCII text that can be easily read into a spreadsheet, graphics or analysis program. It is also available for download in the popular netCDF format, written to be compatible with community standard EPIC and COARDS netCDF conventions. Metadata has been submitted to national catlogs, including the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD), Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) and NOAAServer, from which it is available in the government standard Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDCS) format. More detailed metadata is available for individual time series from the website and FTP site, and is included in attributes within the individual netCDF data files.

Acknowledgment When Using Unaami Data

If you use data from the Unaami Data Collection, please acknowledge the Unaami Data Collection and the original source of the data. Also, we would appreciate receiving a preprint and/or reprint of those publications utilizing the data for inclusion in the SEARCH Unaami bibliography. Relevant publications should be sent to: James E. Overland, NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.

If you know of any time series that represents any aspect of Arctic change, please contact us:

James E. Overland
NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
Phone: 206-526-6795
Email: James.E.Overland@noaa.gov

Graphics Acknowledgments

Acknowledgment for Seal Hunter image in banner: Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images, 2001. (Volume 20) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html