The Iceberg Beacon Track Database is a collection of 224 iceberg drift tracks with a total of 719,045 positions from the Arctic and (North) Atlantic oceans. Each track is accompanied by metadata that describes the iceberg shape, dimensions (m), beacon model, and other ancillary information that can be used in research related to iceberg drift climatology, developing and validating drift models, and validating remote sensing iceberg detection algorithms. The beacon tracks were collected by 12 academic, industry, and government research groups from 1997 to 2025. They all include timestamps (UTC) and position data (latitude and longitude: dd.dddd°), and may include temperature (K), barometric pressure (Pa), heading, pitch, and roll (degrees). All beacon tracks have been processed and consolidated into the same framework, and are available in geospatial formats for mapping and analysis. Although the current data extent is largely within Canadian waters, we consider all drift tracks of Northern Hemisphere icebergs and related features (ice islands, bergy bits, and other fragments) to be within the scope of this collection. We encourage those who have beacon tracks to submit them for inclusion into subsequent versions of the Iceberg Beacon Track Database.
10.21963/13340
