Drifters were deployed from vessels in the Chukchi Sea during the ice-free seasons of 2011-2013. Drifter positions were determined via GPS, and positions were relayed via Iridium communications to on-shore data centers. Drifters were tracked from their release until they a) were picked up at sea for redeployment; b) beached on-shore; or c) died at sea because of battery failure or other causes. Many drifters remained active as sea ice re-formed in the region, and 3 drifters were frozen in the ice and released the following spring. Drifters also recorded Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from 2012 onward. Drifters were of various types (Davis, SVP, and Microstar) and were drogued at various depths (1 m and 10 m).

Thirty-four drift tracks in the Arctic Ocean pack ice are collected in a unified tabular data format, one file per track. Data are from drifting ships, manned research stations on ice floes (ice islands) and data buoys. Track names are FRAM (ship, 1893 to 1896), NP-01 through NP-20 (Soviet North Pole stations on ice floes, 1937, 1950, 1954 to 1970), IGY-A and IGY-B (International Geophysical Year ice camps, 1957 to 59), T-3 (Fletcher's Ice Island, 1959 to 1970), ARLIS-II (Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station II ice camp, 1961 to 1965), BTAE (British Transarctic Expedition, 1968 to 1969), seven buoys deployed during the AIDJEX (Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment) pilot study (1972), TEGG (Austrian ship Tegetthoff, 1872 to 1873) and St. Anna (Russian ship, 1912 to 1914).

The International Ice Patrol (IIP) tracks, plots, and predicts iceberg positions in the North Atlantic Ocean. The IIP area of responsibility is 40 to 52 degrees North, 39 to 57 degrees West. During several years (1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, and 1989) individual icebergs were tagged with buoys developed by the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center. The motion of the icebergs bearing the USCG buoys were then tracked via satellite. Observation periods range from one week to two years depending on the buoy. The data are stored in the National Oceanographic Data Center format for drifting buoys (format number 156).

Sewage disposal and temperature profile data were collected using bottle in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from 25 October 1989 to 19 September 1991. Data were collected and submitted by John Hennessey of Battelle Marine Research laboratory in New England with support from the Ocean Dumping and SKYLAB projects. Data has been processed by NODC to the NODC standard Ocean Drifter (F156) format. The F156 data type contains time series ocean circulation data determined by tracking the movement of drifting buoys, drogues or other instrumented devices. Movement is reported as point-to-point geographic locations determined by shore-based, surface ship, aircraft or satellite observations. Data from both ocean currents and sea ice movement can be reported in this format over time periods ranging from minutes to months. Directions and speeds between individual observations may be computed from these data and presented in graphic or summary listing form to provide information on circulation patterns and mass transport in offshore and nearshore regions.%BR%%BR%Platform name (for platform acquiring data or deploying device), drogue characteristics, start and end positions and times, and observation frequency (if constant time interval) are reported for each series of observations. The data record comprises position, date and time for each observation. Other surface meteorological or oceanographic parameters (e.g., water temperature and salinity, air temperature and pressure, wind, waves) and subsurface data (depth, pressure, temperature) may also be reported. Text records may be used to report general comments or to describe individual drogue observations.