the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
| 17 Feb 2025
Science data collection by the New Zealand Defence Force during the 2022 Antarctic Resupply Mission
Abstract. The maiden resupply voyage of HMNZS AOTEAROA to Winter Quarters Bay, McMurdo Sound, provided a vessel of opportunity to complete experimentation in the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean, focused on improving maritime safety. The science programs on the voyage included the deployment of 21 free floating wave buoys, 10 Global Drifters, 2 Argo Floats and 85 expendable bathythermograph profilers. In addition, measurements of meteorological and oceanographic conditions and sea ice characteristics were captured from onboard the ship and augmented with satellite-based synthetic aperture radar captures and high-resolution wave modelling. An aligned experiment was also undertaken to assess the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems at high latitudes. The full set of voyage data and instructions for their access are described.
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RC1: 'Comment on essd-2025-8', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Mar 2025
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Science data collection by the New Zealand Defence Force during the 2022 Antarctic Resupply Mission
Garrett et al.
The manuscript presents a potentially valuable dataset collected from various sensors during a resupply mission to Antarctica in February 2022. Given the scarcity of data from this region, particularly datasets as comprehensive as the one described, I welcome this contribution and support its publication. However, the manuscript requires substantial revision, as key details and the broader relevance of the dataset are not clearly articulated. In particular:
1. The description of the available data is fragmented and unclear, making it difficult to determine exactly what has been measured. Section 2 outlines the data collection methodology, while Section 3 discusses processing, but neither provides a clear account of the parameters recorded by each sensor. For example, Section 2.1.1 names the commercial models of the marine radar, and Section 3.3 states that radars were used to detect sea ice in the vicinity of the ship. However, neither specifies which parameters were extracted from the radar data. This issue applies to all sensors. To improve clarity, I recommend consolidating relevant information from Sections 2 and 3 into a dedicated section that provides a cohesive overview of the sensors and their outputs. For each sensor, the authors should clearly describe its purpose, operating principle, measured parameters, and acquisition details such as sampling rate. At present, these details are scattered across multiple sections, making comprehension difficult.
2. A summary table listing the sensors, measured parameters, and acquisition frequency (where applicable) would help the reader quickly grasp the dataset’s contents. This would enhance clarity and provide an accessible reference for understanding the scope of the measurements.
3. Section 4 attempts to describe key features of the dataset, but its discussion lacks depth, leaving the reader uncertain about its relevance. Only a limited selection of parameters is covered — for instance, data extracted from optical images and additional sea ice characteristics from the marine radar are not discussed. Furthermore, figures are not explained in sufficient detail; for example, the comparison between measured and modelled wave heights in Fig. 9 is unclear. To strengthen this section, the authors should provide a more comprehensive discussion of the dataset, clearly detailing its features and significance. Since the manuscript is intended to present a dataset, it should offer a thorough account of what the dataset contains and represents. As presented, it is difficult to assess the quality of the overall data product.
Minor corrections:
Line 45: “the distance at which sea ice can be reliably detected is considered to be <1nm”. Do the author mean 1km?
The introduction outlines three topics addressed by the expedition. While the objectives of Topics 2 and 3 (Sections 1.2 and 1.3) are clearly stated, the aim of Topic 1 (Section 1.1) remains vague.
Line 186: there is reference to Figure 2.4, which does not appear to exist. Do the authors instead mean Figure 4?
Paragraph starting at line 190. It is unclear how many buoys have been deployed. It seems a few were deployed temporarily and 15 for long time monitoring. This should be clarified.
Section 2.3 lists several satellite missions, but it is unclear which parameters these satellites are measuring.
Section 3.1 mentions the processing of weather parameters but does not specify which parameters are involved. Moreover, this subsection is only two lines long and lacks meaningful information. The authors should either expand it with relevant details or remove it. The same applies to other similarly brief subsections.
The fonts in Figures 7–9 are unreadable and need to be adjusted for better clarity.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-8-RC1
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Science data collection by the New Zealand Defence Force during the 2022 Antarctic Resupply Mission S. Garrett et al. https://www.vliz.be/nl/imis?dasid=8539&doiid=979
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