Project Grant 2535203

The National Science Foundation Division of Polar Programs awarded Ohio University $501,599 on September 1, 2026, under the Polar Programs grant program (CFDA 47.078) to digitize approximately 2 million observations of temperature, pressure, and winds recorded in merchant ship logbooks from the early 20th century, with over 1 million observations from south of 55° South latitude. Work will continue through August 31, 2029, at Ohio University's location in Athens, Ohio.

The project addresses significant gaps in Antarctic and Southern Ocean meteorological data. Most Antarctic weather observations began during the International Geophysical Year of 1957–1958, leaving global gridded temperature and pressure datasets with dramatically reduced quality south of 55° South before 1960. Early 20th century reconstructions contain substantial disparities due to scarce direct measurements. The newly digitized merchant ship observations will fill regions where essentially no data exist, providing enhanced constraint on parameters such as global mean temperatures in the early 20th century and improved tools for analyzing Antarctic environmental change. This is a joint U.S.–UK project funded through the NSF/GEO–NERC Lead Agency Opportunity, in which each agency funds the proportion of the budget supporting scientists at institutions in its respective country.