The data set comprises observations along ship-trajectories at irregular time intervals and at irregular distances between successive ship-based observations. As such this is an irregularly distributed data set in space and time. Typically, time differences between successive observations should be around one hour.
For the same date, observations from several cruises can exist.
Each single ship-based observation comprises the parameters listed in the summary. Parameters not observed, i.e. missing, are assigned a missing value. These missing values are constant for one parameter, e.g. the sea-ice thickness of ice of thickness category I, for the entire data set but they may vary between different parameters, e.g. between sea-ice thickness: -9.9 and sea-ice concentration: -9 or a missing comment: noval.
Each single ship-based observation of the sea-ice conditions likely represent different areas around the ship. The goal is to observe within a radius of one kilometer around the ship. However, ships' speed, visibility, sea-ice conditions, and experience of the observer result in an elliptically shaped observation area with a semi-minor axis close to one kilometer and a semi-major axis between an estimated 1 and 2.5 kilometers.