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The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg, Russia, produces sea ice charts for safety of navigation in the polar regions and for other operational and scientific purposes. Arctic charts from 1933 through 2006 are collected in this data set. Chart frequency and spatial coverage varies, but charts were compiled every 10 days during the navigation season, and monthly for the rest of the year, over most of the series. There is a gap with no charts from 1993 through 1996. Chart coverage focuses on the Northern Sea Route, although later charts extend into the central Arctic. The charts were compiled from a variety of data sources, with heavy reliance on regular reconnaissance flights for most of the series until 1992.
Sea Ice Charts of the Russian Arctic in Gridded Format, 1933-2006, Version 1
This is the most recent version of these data.
Geographic Coverage
FTP data can be downloaded through a Web browser or command line via FTP. For help downloading data through an FTP client, go to the How to access data using an FTP client support page.
As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set using the following citation. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. Compiled by V. Smolyanitsky, V. Borodachev, A. Mahoney, F. Fetterer, and R. G. Barry. 2007. Sea Ice Charts of the Russian Arctic in Gridded Format, 1933-2006, Version 1. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.7265/N5D21VHJ. [Date Accessed].
Early paper charts were digitized, and the entire series, including later charts that were produced entirely digitally, were converted to Sea Ice Grid (SIGRID) format at AARI. AARI provided code to read the SIGRID data and convert it to a format close to EASE-Grid. NSIDC completed the conversion to Equal Area Scalable Earth (EASE)-Grid. The EASE-Grid is in a Lambert equal-area projection with 12.5 km cell size. Total ice concentration, as well as partial concentrations for multiyear, first-year, new/young ice (ice younger than first-year ice), and fast ice, are given in EASE-Grid (binary), SIGRID (ASCII), and browse (PNG) files. Data are available via FTP.
This data set replaces and updates the previous data set, AARI 10-Day Arctic Ocean EASE-Grid Sea Ice Observations, and the Russian Arctic charts on the Environmental Working Group Joint U.S.-Russian Arctic Sea Ice Atlas.
Relevance for Research
The record length of this sea ice chart series makes it especially valuable. The AARI record covers the arctic warm period in the 1930s and 1940s (a 20th century warm interval of comparable magnitude to that of the 1990s), a cold period in 1960s and 1970s, and it precedes the later rapid increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. In contrast, the satellite instrument sea ice record does not reliably begin until 1978. Operational chart data are better sources for ice concentration information than are satellite passive microwave derived data, especially in the summer months, when melt water on the ice surface contributes to algorithm errors. The charts are more accurate and detailed than satellite derived products, especially for the ice edge and marginal ice zone and stages of ice development. The concentration record from remote sensing is more consistent over time, however.
It was essential to digitize the unique earlier Russian records contained in this data set in order to extend knowledge of ice variability back in time, especially for trends in the Eurasian sector of the Arctic. The digitization required the expert work of now retired ice analysts, because ice coding practices changed over time, and old ways of constructing the charts were in danger of being forgotten.
Ice Chart Production at AARI
AARI is part of the Russian Federal Hydrometeorological Service (Roshydromet), and provides sea ice information services for the central Arctic basin and Arctic seas. (WMO-574, 2007). AARI's operational division produces sea ice charts that describe ice following World Meteorological Organization nomenclature (WMO, 1970). Figure 1 is an example of an early (August 1933) chart from AARI, while Figure 2 is a modern AARI chart. The sea ice cover depicted in Figure 1 was described by the AARI ice analysis using the Russian national symbology according to which total concentration numbers are depicted inside the white circles, while the adjacent smaller size symbols depict partial concentrations and forms of the observed stages of ice development. The sea ice cover in Figure 2 is described using the current WMO sea ice symbology according to which the above-mentioned sea ice parameters are given as numbers inside the ovals. There is a near direct correspondence between the Russian national symbology and the current WMO sea ice symbology with negligible discrepancies mostly for the cases when a specific ice term was present in the Russian national sea ice nomenclature and absent in the WMO Sea Ice Nomenclature.
Since its origin in 1920, AARI has had a special interest in ice analyses for activities along the Northern Sea Route. Airborne reconnaissance flights began in the mid-1920s with more extensive coverage from 1933 on (Borodachev and Shilnikov, 2002). Figures 3a and b show standard flight paths, whereas Figure 3c shows flight paths used during instrumented air reconnaissance missions equipped with side-looking radar. These figures are taken from the Handbook for Conducting Aerial Reconnaissance. Before 1992, ice reconnaissance flights were conducted every ten days during the navigation season (May-October), and on ten to thirty day intervals during the rest of the year. Regularly scheduled aerial surveys for the Arctic Ocean cover only the Northern Sea Route; the data were compiled for operational reasons and are therefore limited in spatial extent. Since 1992, ice reconnaissance flights are conducted only occasionally in support of operational and scientific activities.
Ice observers on reconnaissance flights recorded, in logbooks and maps, the main ice parameters, namely total concentration and partial concentrations and forms of all observed stages of ice development. Information on discontinuities in the ice cover (such as leads) and various surface parameters (such as hummocks, ridges, snow, contamination, and stages of melting) were recorded as well.
Since 1992, satellite data have replaced regular aerial reconnaissance survey data. AARI's satellite receiving station provides visible and infrared images from US (NOAA HRPT, EOS TERRA) and Russian (METEOR, OKEAN) satellites. OKEAN-series satellites (when operative) acquire Side-Looking Aperture Radar (SLAR) and passive microwave sounding data as well.
Satellite and airborne reconnaissance data are the most commonly used data for constructing ice charts, but other sources are used as well (Table 1). At present, all data are processed in a GIS-based ice information system, and used to create regional and pan arctic sea ice analyses. Earlier analyses were created on paper (1933 to about 1996), more recent analyses are entirely digital (1996 - present).
Smaller individual charts from air reconnaissance were combined to make a compound chart. Information for the compound chart was collected over the 10-day period, but information from the last 3-4 days in the 10-day period was used when available.
|Approximate range of years data were used for chart creation
|Polar meteorological stations
|Sea ice total concentration and stage of ice development before fast ice formation, ice and snow thickness, sea ice phenological phenomena
|1920s - present
|Shipborne en-route observations (icebreakers, expeditionary, cargo and fishing vessels)
|Sea ice total concentration, partial concentrations and forms of the encountered stages of ice development plus additional sea ice parameters significant for ice navigation (hummocks, ridges, openings, stages of melting etc) observed en-route and within the area visible from the bridge
|1920s - present
|Air reconnaissance (manual)
|The same as above, except much wider area of visibility
|1924 - 1932 (irregular)
1932 - 1992 (regular)
1951 - 1992 (photography)
1993 - present (irregular, mostly by helicopters)
|Air reconnaissance (instrumental IR, microwave radiometers, laser profilers)
|The same as above
|1964 - 1992 (irregular)
|Air reconnaissance (instrumental SLAR)
|The same as above with 80 km swath
|1968 - 1992 (regular)
|Satellite non-SAR (vis, IR and SLAR) imagery from Russian COSMOS and Meteor satellite series, USA NOAA and EOS (Terra and Aqua) satellites series
|Sea ice total concentration, partial concentrations of the identified stages of ice development, fast ice boundary detection
|1966 - present (visible)
1972 - present (IR)
1983 - 1990s (SLAR)
|Satellite SAR imagery (Radarsat, ERS, Envisat, Russian Almaz)
|The same as above plus forms of ice with fine resolution imagery
|Late 1990s - present (mostly irregular during custom operational support, with an exception of regular usage of Envisat GMM)
|DARMS (drifting autonomous radio meteorological stations) and IABP (International Arctic Buoy Program) buoys
|Ice drift
1979 - present (IABP)
Charts usually have information on ice concentration, extent, partial concentrations, stages of development, and ice form including fast ice, and may also have information on surface conditions (stages of melting, snow on ice), navigation features (leads, flaws, polynyas), and dynamic processes (hummocks, ridges). The charts, archived at AARI, are compiled on 1:1.5 million, 1:2 million and 1:5 million equiangular stereographic and Mercator projections. Boundaries are accurate from 2 to 4 km for the sections of the chart under the air reconnaissance flight line, and up to 50 km between routes. An assessment of accuracy for later charts, which are constructed without air reconnaissance data, has not been made.
Observations were assimilated and charts were drawn manually until about mid 1990s, when chart production was transitioned to using computer displays and computer aided drawing tools. Since 1996, GIS software is used to construct charts; however, a master copy is still archived in paper form.
WMO Codes and Ice Chart Digitization
Ice analysts compile sea ice charts by outlining areas of ice with uniform ice characteristics and labeling them with a code. Ice charts from ice services around the world were coded differently until the winter season of 1981/1982, when an international standard for sea ice symbols, "International Symbols for Sea Ice Charts" (part of WMO Sea Ice Nomenclature) was recommended for operational use by the WMO Commission for Marine Meteorology (CMM) (recommendation 36/80). This code (known as the "egg code," for its shape) has information on total sea ice concentration, usually given as a range (for example 7-9, meaning 7 to 9 tenths or 70% to 90% concentration). The egg code for a particular area may also have partial concentrations (that is, concentration by ice type), information on ice stage of development (often called ice type, usually expressed as ice age, and a proxy for ice thickness), and information on ice form as well. Fast ice, pancake ice, and brash ice are examples of ice form. Many ice services use the egg code, but implement it differently depending on what information their charts routinely capture. Typically, the egg code is not fully used. For example, only one or two forms might be included. AARI uses the WMO egg code to its full extent, with the exception of forms of ice for charts that are based only on satellite imagery (that is, charts after 1992). Fast ice, and stages of ice development for fast ice, are consistently identified throughout the record.
The Canadian Ice Service (CIS) Manual of Standard Procedures for Observing and Reporting Ice Conditions, or MANICE (Environment Canada, 2005) has a good explanation of how ice information, following WMO terminology, is encoded using the egg code. Figure 4 summarizes the information that can be encoded .
For sea ice term definitions, see Sea Ice Nomenclature (WMO, 1970; in Russian, English, Spanish and French), the NSIDC Sea Ice Glossary, and All About Sea Ice.
To encode and digitally preserve information in hand drawn ice charts, a format called SIGRID which stands for Sea Ice Grid (Thompson, 1981) was developed and later adopted for the Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank (GDSIDB) data archive and exchange project. Visit the Joint WMO/IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology and see the Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank [GDSIDB] for more information. Essentially, a sea ice chart encoded in SIGRID is a text file, where the information in each egg code is a string of text. There is information for each grid point. Grid resolution is nominally 15 minutes in latitude, and a variable amount in longitude.
At AARI, paper charts were digitized using a digitizing tablet in A0 format and software developed at AARI. Another in-house software package was used to convert vector format (CONTOUR) charts to SIGRID. For later electronic charts, conversion to SIGRID was performed on the output files from the GIS system.
Closely Related Data Sets
Earlier chart digitization projects resulted in two data products that contain digital AARI charts. AARI 10-Day Arctic Ocean EASE-Grid Sea Ice Observations,1953-1990 (Fetterer and Troisi, 1997) resulted from the first conversion of SIGRID to EASE-Grid, and established a convention for grouping partial concentrations (multiyear concentration in an EASE-Grid product, for example, is the sum of concentrations of WMO old ice, second year ice, and multiyear ice categories.) The Environmental Working Group Joint U.S.-Russian Sea Ice Atlas (Arctic Climatology Project, 2000) has AARI charts from 1950 to 1992 in SIGRID format and in EASE-Grid.
This data set extends the time period covered by the earlier products, and data have undergone additional quality control. These data should be used in place of the AARI data on the earlier products. AARI 10-Day Arctic Ocean EASE-Grid Sea Ice Observations,1953-1990, has been removed from the NSIDC data catalog. The Environmental Working Group Joint U.S.-Russian Sea Ice Atlas will remain in the catalog, because it contains other data sets in addition to the chart series.
National Ice Center Arctic Sea Ice Charts and Climatologies in Gridded Format (NIC, 2006) provides the chart series from the US operational ice service in EASE-Grid. Differences between the NIC and AARI EASE-Grid chart data sets include
- Longer period of coverage for AARI series (1933- 2006 versus 1972 - 2004 for NIC)
- NIC series covers the entire Arctic, while the AARI series generally covers the Northern Sea Route and adjacent seas.
- EASE-Grid implemented differently: The NIC series has separate files for partial concentrations, while the AARI series has partial concentrations as layers within the same file.
- NIC series is 25 km EASE-Grid; AARI series is 12.5 km EASE-Grid.
- NIC series has partial concentrations for 1995 on; AARI series has partial concentrations for most of the data set through the entire data set.
- New/young in the AARI series is called "thin" ice in the NIC series.
Detailed Data Description
Sea ice concentration (with fast ice separately identified) is the only geophysical parameter in the EASE-Grid portion of the data set. (Sea ice extent may be derived from ice concentration). The data set consists of binary files that contain total ice concentration for all ice types taken together, as well as partial concentrations of multiyear ice, first-year ice, and new/young ice.
The SIGRID files in the data set provide the possibility of assessing sea ice thickness as well, using stage of development as a proxy for thickness.
Binary Files
Each file is a 721 by 721 (row-major) array of IEEE integer data with five layers (band sequential format), representing ice concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 percent (see Processing section). Layer 0 holds total ice concentration; layer 1, multiyear ice concentration; layer 2, first-year ice concentration; layer 3, new/young ice concentration; and layer 4, fast ice presence or absence (concentration equals 100 where fast ice exists, and 0 where it does not).
Possible byte values are:
Byte Value
|0 - 100
|Ice concentration in percent (values are multiples of 5)
|undigitized data (south of 60 degrees North)
|missing data
Data are in the NSIDC AARI EASE-Grid (Northern hemisphere azimuthal equal-area projection, nominal 12.5 km resolution grid). EASE-Grid is a map and grid combination used for many gridded NSIDC data sets. The nominal grid cell size is 12.5338 km x 12.5338 km. Few cells actually have these dimensions, but all cells have the same area, 157.0952 km2. The actual latitude/longitude value for the center of any EASE-Grid pixel can be obtained from files created for this purpose (
aarilat.bin and
The AARI EASE-Grid was defined to be the subset of the SSM/I Pathfinder NH EASE-Grid (Northern hemisphere, 12.5 km resolution) defined by columns 360 through 1080 and rows 360 through 1080, with corner points at 29.8048 degrees latitude, and at 135 degrees West, 135 degrees East, 45 degree West and 45 degrees East longitude. These coordinates match the outside corners of the SSM/I Pathfinder NH EASE-Grid cells at the column, row coordinates of (359.5,359.5), (1080.5,359.5), (359.5,1080.5), and (1080.5,1080.5). This area was selected to cover the same as that defined for the Pathfinder AVHRR polar products.
For more information on the projection and relation to other EASE-Grids, see All About EASE-Grid and Brodzik and Knowles (2002).
SIGRID Files
Sea Ice Grid (SIGRID) data files are ASCII files with a format described in Thompson (1981). These files are the source data from which the EASE-Grid files were produced. They are archived at NSIDC and at AARI and are available as part of this data set, but the SIGRID format is not supported at NSIDC.
PNG Files
Browse images for the products are available as illustrated in Figure 5. There is a browse file for each total and partial concentration layer.
The approximate spatial bounding box is the following. However, the spatial coverage is discontinuous.
Northernmost Latitude: 90° N
Southernmost Latitude: 60° N
Easternmost Longitude: 210° E
Westernmost Longitude: 24° W
AARI charts prior to 1997 were produced for two areas: a western sector (24° W to 110° E) and an eastern sector (105° E to 130° W). For 1972, and from 1997 on, eastern and western sectors were combined. The area covered by the charts varies from file to file. Note that because the charts were compiled primarily for navigation purposes, most information is in the area of the Northern Sea Route.
AARI charts were converted to SIGRID, with nominal 15 minute resolution. SIGRID charts were converted to EASE-Grid with 12.5 km cell size. See the Data Acquisition and Processing section for information on how these transformations can affect resolution. The EASE-Grid used here is 721 by 721 12.5-km cells. (see Format section for information on the grid spatial coverage).
Users should be aware of the problems presented by the varying spatial and temporal coverage of the chart data when comparing data from different years. To see the area covered by a file chart, use the provided browse images, or use the Java-based SIGRID browser provided by AARI. Snapshots of the browser view for total concentration and multiyear ice concentration are given in Figure 6a and Figure 6b respectively.
Coverage is approximately every ten days during the navigation season (May - October), and monthly the remainder of the year. Temporal coverage is discontinuous. Charts were usually compiled three times a month during the navigation season of May through October, and observations were acquired over ten-day intervals. The collection period is indicated by the file name (see File Naming Convention section). Sometimes more than three charts were compiled in a given month, in response to special requests for support.
This data set extends from 1933 through 2006, although not every year has a complete twelve months of data. Most years include at least eight months of data. Since the charts were intended primarily to aid navigation there are more files in the summer months. Later years have more complete coverage. Figure 7 shows the coverage of the charts in the first 16 years of this data set. Figure 8 gives an overall picture of data density, by showing the number of ice edge positions that were taken from the chart data for a given year, area, and season (Mahoney et al, submitted). The increase in spatial and temporal coverage in about 1987 is due to analysts incorporating satellite data regularly. There is a gap in coverage from 1993 through 1996 that occurred as AARI transitioned from paper to electronic chart production.
Table 3 describes the files located in the following three directories:
|Directory Name
|with browse images (14,385 files)
|with SIGRID files (2877 files )
|containing all binary EASE-Grid files (2877 files)
There are also utility files.
IEEE integer files (721 by 721) with the latitude and longitude of the center of each grid element in the data set in 1/100ths of a degree:
A Geotiff land mask:
File names are like the following example:
|Sector (e: eastern, w: western, or a: both). Sectors were combined for the year 1972 and for 1997 on.
|4-digit chart year
|2-digit month
|Period indicator, explained below
|Version - currently 0
|File extension (bin, gif, or sig)
The png files have an additional layer identifier tt,
where: tt =
tc (total concentration),
my (multiyear concentration),
fy (first-year),
ny (new/young ice concentration), or
fi (fast ice).
Charts were usually compiled three times a month, and observations were acquired over 10 day intervals. The 10-day periods are the same for every month, covering dates 1-10, 11-20, and 21-30 or 31 (except 28/29 for February). The dd digits in the file name can be interpreted as the date associated with the file, but they are also a period indicator that gives the part of the month in which data for the chart was acquired.
If the period indicator is in the first part of a 10-day interval (that is, it is 1-5 for date intervals 1-10, 11-15 for date intervals 11-20, and 21-25 for date intervals 21-28, 21-29, 21-30, and 21-31), the chart contains information acquired over the entire 10-day period. If the period indicator is in the second part of the 10-day interval (that is, it is 6-10 for intervals 1-10, 16-20 for intervals 11-20, or 26-31 for the last period of a given month), approximately 75 percent of the chart contains information from the second half of the 10-day period and 25 percent of the chart contains information from the first half of the 10-day period.
Therefore, a file name of
e19800114 indicates that chart observations were acquired from the eastern sector over the entire period between 11 and 20 January 1980, and not that data were collected on January 14, 1980. To compare, a file labeled
e19800116 indicates that data were acquired for the most part toward the end of the same period.
EASE-Grid files (binary) are 2.5 MB each (720 x 720 x 5 bytes). SIGRID files (ASCII) range from about 4 to 30 KB. Browse files (PNG images) are about 20 KB, and there are five browse files per chart.
The following is an octal display of the first few records in file
0000000 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 * 0002540 116635 116635 124250 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 0002560 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 * 0004060 116650 116635 124250 124250 124250 116650 116635 116635 0004100 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 * 0005400 124235 124250 124250 124250 124250 116650 116635 124235 0005420 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 * 0006720 116635 124250 124250 124250 124250 116650 116635 116635 0006740 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 * 0010240 116635 124235 124250 124250 116650 116635 124235 116635 0010260 116635 116635 116650 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 0010300 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 * 0011560 116635 124235 124250 124250 124250 124250 124250 116650 0011600 116635 124235 124250 116650 116635 116635 116635 116635 0011620 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 * 0013100 116635 124235 124250 124250 124250 124250 124250 124250 0013120 116650 124235 124250 116650 116635 116635 116635 116635 0013140 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635 116635
Data Acquisition and Processing
Digitized, SIGRID format AARI ice charts covering 1933-1949 (received in May, 2005), and 1950-2006, with a gap from 1993-1996 (received in March, 2007) were processed at NSIDC to create EASE-Grid data files. Processing steps were as follows:
A Windows executable (
s2g.exe) provided by V. Smolyanitsky was used to convert SIGRID ASCII files to
.inf and
.out files. The
.out files are 1440 x 121 element, space-delimited ASCII grids. Each element (0.25 x 0.25 degrees) is a 2-digit number corresponding to a line in the
.inf file, which gives the SIGRID code for all elements in the
.out file with that number. These intermediate files are not available for distribution.
An IDL program (
nearEASE2EASE.pro) interprets the SIGRID codes into concentrations of total sea ice, multiyear ice, first-year ice, new/young ice and landfast ice. It then transforms the lat-lon grid to EASE-Grid, and applies a land mask. Missing data cells are assigned a byte value of 165, while undigitized data (south of 60° N) is assigned 157. Land is assigned a value of 168.
Each EASE-Grid chart consists of five layers of information: total ice concentration, multiyear (MY) ice concentration, first-year (FY) ice concentration, new/young ice concentration, and landfast ice. The layers are a convention that was established with an earlier data set (Fetterer and Troisi, 1997). This convention groups the many possible stages of development in a SIGRID source data file into five layers in the EASE-Grid file (Table 5). For example, the EASE-Grid multiyear concentration layer has the combined concentrations of the WMO categories of old ice, second year ice, and multiyear ice stages of development from the source SIGRID file.
In effect, the partial concentrations are categorized into three types, multiyear ice (2 - 4 m thick), first-year ice (30 cm - 200 cm thick), and new/young ice (less than 30 cm thick). Thickness ranges are those established by the World Meteorological Organization ice classification scheme. Refer to Table 5.
|Ice concentration by type (EASE-Grid)
|Stage of development in source data (SIGRID). These terms are WMO nomenclature (WMO, 1970)
|total ice concentration (all types)
|total ice concentration (all types)
|multiyear ice
|old ice / 2nd year ice / multiyear ice
|first-year ice
|first year ice (FYI) / thin FYI / thin FYI _ stage1 / thin FYI _ stage2 / medium FYI / thick FYI
|new ice / nilas / dark nilas/ light nilas / ice rind / young ice / gray ice / gray-white ice
|fast ice
|ice form (landfast ice is the only form)
Sea ice charts often use ranges for ice concentration. A typical SIGRID code might be:
CT79CA609599CB139199. The value after CT indicates the total concentration, in this case 79 meaning the concentration is between 70 and 90 percent. This is translated to 80 percent for the corresponding EASE-Grid cell. Other SIGRID values might be 70 for 70 percent, 91 for between 90 and 100 percent, and 92 for 100 percent. The corresponding value used to fill the EASE-Grid cell is always the average value if the concentration given is a range between two values. In the SIGRID code, the CA refers to the concentration of the first thickest ice. In the example
CA609599, 60 is the concentration of this ice type, 95 denotes old ice, and 99 is undetermined or unknown floe size. These partial concentrations should sum to the same value as the total concentration. Table 6 summarizes how EASE-Grid files encode SIGRID.
|Ice Concentration from Egg Code
|SIGRID Code
|EASE-Grid Product Value for % Concentration
|ice free
|less than 1/10 (open water)
|more than 9/10, less than 10/10
|Concentration Intervals
(Cl = lowest concentration in interval
(Ch = highest concentration in interval)
|1/10 - 3/10
|4/10 - 6/10
|7/10 - 9/10
|7/10 - 10/10
Sea ice charts on paper can be converted to a raster grid format at any desired resolution. Raster data are limited in that a point within a grid cell represents the entire cell, and the shape of the boundary between regions is lost. The SIGRID cell size varies with latitude (see the GDSIDB formats). Kokaly (1996) addresses some considerations of sea ice chart data conversions, and notes that in converting from SIGRID (with 15 minute nominal resolution) to EASE-Grid an EASE-Grid cell size of 12.5 km, rather than 25 km, should be used in order to avoid loosing concentration information.
The EASE-Grid is a Lambert equal area projection in north polar aspect. The important aspects of this projection are that grid elements have equal area, the azimuthal property shows true direction from the projection's center, and the scale at a given distance from the center varies less from scale at the center than any of the other major azimuthal projections. In contrast, SIGRID uses a geographical projection for which the grid spacing is a constant 0.25 degrees along lines of longitude, but varies along lines of latitude. The grid size therefore varies with longitude, from between 0 and 500 sq km north of 88° N, and 1000 sq km at 50° N.
AARI sea ice chart data in SIGRID format were re-gridded to the EASE-Grid using a "nearest neighbor" binning method, such that the values placed in EASE-Grid cells are assigned to match the values of the closest SIGRID points.
Accuracy and precision
The accuracy and precision of the original charts is not known with certainty. Zhakarov (2000) characterizes the data quality of the AARI charts as follows: 1946 onward quite reliable, 1932-1945 "sufficiently reliable" and 1924-1931 as rough.
AARI states that boundaries are accurate from 2 to 4 km for sections of the chart close to air reconnaissance flight route and up to 50 km under for sections of the chart between the air reconnaissance flight routes. Accuracies for later charts, constructed without air reconnaissance, have not been established. Total ice concentration is usually recorded on charts in a range. That range is expressed in tenths. The mean value of that range is used in the EASE-Grid files. Thus, the precision can vary from grid cell to grid cell depending on the range with which concentration was originally charted.
Analysis conventions or procedures, discontinuities in the record
Fast ice has been charted by AARI beginning with the earliest charts. When fast ice breaks up and moves away from remaining fast ice or from land, the separated floe may retain its "fast ice" designation if it is very large (tens of km across). (This is in contrast to the convention used by the U.S. National Ice Center, which assigns a stage of development to fast ice that breaks into floes).
At the end of the summer when stable freezeup begins, or, typically, on 1 October, first-year ice that did not melt is reclassified as residual ice (a term used by AARI and not included in the WMO Sea Ice Nomenclature as of 2007), and second year ice is classified as old ice. On 1 January, residual ice is reclassified as second year ice. Both residual ice and second-year ice are included in the multiyear layer in this data set. Note that the transition of ice in an EASE-Grid cell from first-year to multiyear at the end of summer usually occurs on 1 October in the high Arctic (north of about 79 degrees North), but since ice observers in more southerly regions may continue to use a "thick first-year ice" term up to the moment that freezing starts, the transition for EASE-Grid cells further south may occur later than 1 October
The AARI digital record stops in 1992 and resumes in 1997. After 1993, aerial reconnaissance missions only took place occasionally to support specific operations, and ice analysts relied primarily on satellite data for charts from 1996 on. As a result of the change in the source of observations, the frequency and area covered by the charts increases, but concentration is reported in coarser increments, and only a single stage of development is included in the current digital version of the charts. The 1997 and later charts included in this data set are summary or browse charts that do not contain the same level of detail as earlier charts, however, they are detailed in their representation of the extent and boundary position of the pack ice, extent and position of fast ice, and the areal coverage and position of flaw leads. (Original paper charts archived at AARI have more information but are not currently available digitally).
Introduction of error from data transformations and regridding
The transformation of chart data from paper or vector format to gridded format results in some unavoidable loss of information and introduction of error. These have not been quantified, but are thought to be minor considerations and probably much less than the uncertainty in the original observations.
Comparison with NIC charts
AARI data were compared with National Ice Center data (National Ice Center Arctic Sea Ice Charts and Climatologies in Gridded Format), for cells that both had in common (NIC charts cover the entire Arctic). The number of these cells increased over time. Overall, the mean difference between the two is close to zero, with AARI charts reporting higher ice concentrations in autumn and winter, and NIC charts reporting higher concentrations in summer. Refer to Figure 9.
References and Related Publications
Contacts and Acknowledgments
V. Smolyanitsky and V. Borodachev
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
St. Petersburg, Russia
Andy Mahoney, Florence Fetterer, and Roger Barry
National Snow and Ice Data Center
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0449 USA
This data set was developed with funding from NASA (Award NNG04GH03G, "Twentieth Century Sea Ice Conditions in the Eurasian Arctic from a Comprehensive Reconstitution and Synthesis of Russian Data Sources with Modern Satellite Data")
We would like to thank ice analysts at AARI who were engaged in the data set preparation process, in particular V. Shil'nikov, V. Belov, T. Petrovsky and I. Revko.
The NOAA team at NSIDC (NOAA@NSIDC) maintains this data set. We thank M.J. Brodzik for assistance in verifying and referencing EASE-Grid files, and J. Beitler for providing a final review of the documentation.
Distribution of the data set from NSIDC is supported by funding from NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC).
Document Information
Document Authors
Florence Fetterer wrote this documentation based on information from the cited references in addition to information provided by V. Smolyanitsky, A. Mahoney, and R. Barry, and information contained in the documentation of an earlier versions of this data collection (Fetterer, F., and V. Troisi. 1997) The sections on the history of ice chart digitization and on earlier data sets are copied, in large part, from the documentation for National Ice Center Arctic Sea Ice Charts and Climatologies in Gridded Format (NIC, 2006).
Document Creation Date
November 2007
Document Revision Date
March 2010: A. Windnagel. Added a publication to the reference section, made a few general changes to make this guide doc follow our newest template better, moved all of the images to their own folder.
NSIDC User Services
Phone: 1 303 492-6199
Email: email@example.com


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Distributed Solar Systems for 20,000 Acres Drip Irrigation Systems and Tunnel Farms in Punjab, Pakistan
The Department of Agriculture (Water Management), Government of the Punjab has got a mandate for execution of the project titled "Promotion of High Value Agriculture through Provision of Climate Smart Technology Package".
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts Hamburg and 8.2 Renewable Energy Experts Pakistan (REEP) were hired as Owner's Engineer for the supervision and monitoring of the project by the Department of Agriculture.
The client wanted to ensure the installation of high quality and cost effective distributed solar systems at the farmer's sites through cost sharing between the government and the farmers at the rate of 80 percent and 20 percent respectively. This unique project was the first of its kind to be implemented on widely spread 20,000 acres of drip irrigated farm lands in the province.
Equipment and SSC Selection Process
Initially, the Service and Supply Companies (SSC), prequalified by the Department of Agriculture, for the installation of drip irrigation systems were also allowed to install the solar systems. Later on, the solar systems installed by some of the SSCs were found to be insufficient to meet the crop water requirements; also the quality of the components was not satisfactory.
Therefore 8.2 Renewable Energy Experts drafted the technical specifications of all individual system components including PV modules, variable frequency drives (VFD), pole mounted trackable mounting structures, circuit breakers, cables, etc. and got its approval from the government after thorough deliberations.
Our expert team reviewed the technical and financial proposals of the SSCs for the equipment fulfilling the latest approved specifications and recommended the quality equipment for approval from the government.
Keeping in view the wide spread of the project, our experts also assisted the prequalification committee and selected around 20 new solar SSCs that provided a relevant track record of solar system installation and a good reputation in the region.
As the farmers were given a choice to negotiate and select each of the prequalified SSCs, all the SSCs had an equal opportunity to be part of the projects.
Preparation of Technical Documents
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts developed the required technical documentation for a smooth project execution. The needed design sheets were developed and handed over to the SSCs. The SSCs had to fill in the design details of the projects including all individual components, material quantities and costs, etc. The design sheets also covered the monthly crop water requirements. For an efficient review of the provided design sheets our expert team developed a project specific simulation tool called 'SoSit'. It evaluates whether a proposed solar system is capable to meet the electricity requirements for the irrigation of the proposed crops. In case the proposed design did not meet the requirements, 8.2 Renewable Energy Experts used to guide the SSCs accordingly.
After the design approval, the SSCs had to deliver the material at each farmer's site accordingly. Our experts developed the material verification documents and performed on-site visits for material verification according to the proposed bill of quantities. They used a dedicated Android application to expedite the verification process over widely spread farm sites.
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts also developed the test run and commissioning documentation.
Rashid Majid Warraich
Due Diligence of the SSCs
Unfortunately it was often observed that the designs prepared by the SSCs were not sufficient to deliver the required volume of water for the very high irrigation requirements of the proposed crops. This was thoroughly reviewed by 8.2 Renewable Energy Experts for each individual project. Our experts collected information for each farmer site and checked - from drip designs and pump curves whether – if the pumps were able to deliver sufficient volume of water within available sun hours at the site's geographical position.
The quality and ingress protection ratings of individual components had been examined according to the pre-approved component specifications. The components had been inspected at the premises of each farmer prior to installation if these met the approved designs and bills of material. After the equipment installation our experts examined the test run of the systems, its installation quality and final commissioning.
Project Reference
Training and Project Development Support
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts conducted intensive training sessions frequently with the staff of the client and of the SSCs. The participants were trained to prepare the solar system designs for different drip systems, to select the needed equipment, to handle the material during transportation, to install the systems and to perform O&M activities. Our expert team prepared a written manual for the SSCs and the client.
Out expert team also participated in the overall negotiations between client and SSCs to get reasonable prices for the equipment. During meetings with the Standards and Specifications Committee of the government 8.2 Renewable Energy Experts supported to get approval for high-quality equipment to be used for the project execution.
About 8.2 Renewable Energy Experts
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts Hamburg GmbH is the renamed 8.2 Obst & Ziehmann International GmbH.
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts Pakistan is a daughter company of 8.2 Renewable Energy Experts Hamburg GmbH based in Lahore.
Both companies are part of the 8.2 Group which traces back to 1995. 8.2 Group consists of more than 30 independent engineering offices with over 150 employees; 100 of these are graduated engineers. Solar PV activities accumulate over 4,000 MWp of project references.
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts Hamburg
8.2 Renewable Energy Experts Pakistan
+49 (0) 40 537 985 700
Project Reference

subset: commoncrawl


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Extension Type: Weft, Clip In, 0.7g Micro Tips, 1g i-tips, Nail Tips, U tips, V-tips. (not available in Tape Extensions or Nano Tips)
Hair Type: Brazilian Remy Hair, European Remy Hair and Russian Remy Hair
State: Dyed/Coloured human hair
Hair Grade Type: Single Drawn
Hair Grade: Premium
Process: Dyed, 2 colours, roots colour and tips colour
Length: 14", 18", 22", 24"
Style: Straight or Bodywave/Wavy
Colour: Various, see colour charts
Weight: 100g / 0.1kg per pack
Want 50g more? Please write an instruction into the box below when placing your order and we will invoice you for the remaining cost which will be 50% of the cost for 100g.
Delivery: Custom made, shipped 12-15 days after placed (approx 2 weeks)
Life Cycle:
1 - 2 years + For Virgin Uncoloured Hair
1 - 1.5 years + For Dark and Medium Brown Hair
8 - 10 months + For Light Brown Hair
6 - 8 months + For Blonde Hair
Our Virgin Remy hair will last many months if well cared for. The above timings are given as a guide based on tests, affects of colouring and feedback collated from our clients. You can re-apply the extensions within these given times. Please read our Hair Care page to care for your extensions in the best possible way.
Style Info:
Rooted Hair Extensions are when you have a darker shade for the roots, the shade will be a small percentage at the roots, approx 20% of any hair length. For the perfect rooted look, go for a natural tone from roots such as Virgin, Medium Brown, Dark Ash Brown or Medium Ash Blonde at the roots.
Unlike our Balayage Hair and Sun kissed Hair, Rooted hair extensions only require 2 colours - the roots hair colour and the tips hair colour therefore less colour processing for a new and on trend hair style.


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What is a discogram?
A discogram is a diagnostic procedure in which x-ray dye or contrast material is injected into the discs of the spine. After the x-ray dye is injected, an x-ray, called a discogram, is taken of the discs. The discogram may be normal or may show tears, fissures or other damage to the disc. The results of a discogram are used to plan treatment of the disc itself.
What is the purpose of a discogram?
A discogram is typically done to answer the questions two questions. "Is my back pain or neck pain directly caused by a degenerated or damaged disc?" and "Which discs are causing my pain?" A discogram will not treat a damaged disc; it is a test, not a treatment. Treatment will be determined by the findings of the discogram.
How do I know if my pain is from a damaged disc?
With age or injury, the wall of the spinal discs can get cracks, tears or fissures. This condition is call internal disc disruption or degenerative disc disease. Also, the wall of the disc can weaken and bulge out, occasionally enough to cause a herniated disc. When the disc itself causes pain, the pain is usually felt as a deep, aching pain in the neck or back. Neck discs may sometimes cause pain into the arms and upper back. Back discs may sometimes cause pain into the buttocks and into the thighs. However, pain from other structures in and around the spine may cause pain in the same locations and feel the same. Sometimes the best way, although not perfect way, to tell if the pain is directly from a damaged disc is with a discogram.
How is a discogram actually performed?
The procedure is performed with fluoroscopic x-ray guidance. The discogram is performed under sterile conditions and intravenous antibiotics are given before the procedure. Lumbar or thoracic discograms for discs in the back are done with the patient lying on the stomach. Cervical discograms for discs in the neck are usually done with the patient lying on the back. There will be monitoring during the procedure. You will receive some sedation to help you be comfortable and relaxed. The patient is monitored with an EKG monitor, blood pressure cuff and an oxygen-monitoring device. The skin over the injection site or sites is cleaned with an antiseptic solution. Then the skin and superficial tissues are numbed with local anesthetic. Next, a needle is passed under x-ray guidance into the disc or discs to be studied. X-ray contrast dye and possibly other medications are injected into the disc with varying amounts of pressure. The physician will ask questions during the injection regarding your symptoms so you will need to be awake enough to answer. When completed, the needle or needles are removed and usually only band-aids are applied.
What will I feel during the discogram?
When a normal disc is injected, you will feel a sense of pressure, but not pain. When an abnormal disc is injected, you will feel pain. It is important to try to tell if the pain you are feeling is your usual pain or different. With each disc injected, you will be asked if it is painful, where you feel the pain and whether it is in the same area as your usual pain.
How many discs will be injected?
Based on your symptoms, your examination and your MRI, we will identify which discs we suspect are causing your pain. These discs will be injected. Rarely do we inject more than three or four disks at one visit. At times only one or two disks may be injected.
How long does a discogram take?
A discogram takes about twenty to thirty minutes per level injected, with the total time depending on how many levels are injected.
What is actually injected?
The injection consists of x-ray dye (x-ray contrast). It may be mixed with some antibiotics to prevent infection. Occasionally local anesthetic or steroid may be injected as well.
Will the discogram hurt?
The discogram involves inserting a needle through skin and deeper tissues, so there is some pain involved. However, your doctor will numb the skin and deeper tissues with a local anesthetic using a very thin needle before inserting the needle into the disc. Most of the patients also receive intravenous sedation to make the procedure easier to tolerate.
Will I be "put out" for the discogram?
No. This procedure is done under local anesthesia. Injection of a local anesthetic is used to numb the skin. Most of the patients also receive some sedation, to help them relax and make the procedure easier to tolerate. The amount of sedation given depends upon the patient. You can be sleepy while the needles are placed, but during the discogram injections, you need to be awake enough to tell the doctor what you are feeling. Some patients have enough sedation that they have amnesia and may nit remember all or parts of the actual procedure.
Will my pain be better after the discogram?
No. A discogram does not treat your condition. It is a diagnostic test that allows your physician to plan specific treatment for any actual disc problem diagnosed or confirmed by the procedure. You could have a flare-up of your back pain after the injection, but this gets better in a day or two and can usually be managed with ice packs and oral pain medication.
What should I do after the discogram?
All patients will need a ride home. We advise the patients to take it easy for a day or so after the procedure. You may need to apply ice to the affected area for ten minutes at a time every hour or so for the next day. Perform only the activities you can reasonably tolerate.
Can I go to work to work the next day?
Most patients are recommended to rest for 2-3 days after the injection.
What are the risks and side effects of a discogram?
Generally speaking, this procedure is safe. However, with any procedure there are risks, side effects and possibility of complications. The most common side effect is pain at the injection site, which is temporary. Sometimes, the discogram needle brushes past a nerve root and the nerve root is irritated. This pain usually gets better quickly. The other risks involve infection, bleeding and worsening of symptoms. Infection of a disc or discitis is a serious complication and must be treated with antibiotics. Fortunately, the serious side effects and complications are uncommon.
Who should not have a discogram?
If the patient is allergic to any of the medications to be injected, on a blood thinning medication, has an active infection going on, or has poorly controlled diabetes or heart disease, they should not have the procedure or at least consider postponing it if postponing would improve the overall medical condition of the patient. In general, most patients should not have a discogram without having tried simpler treatments such as rest, medication, physical therapy or other types of injections.
http://www.medcentral.org/body.cfm?id=344 July 25th, 2010


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Soft & Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Fluffy buttermilk pancakes from scratch that are so easy to make, you'll never be tempted to buy a mix again!
Good morning!
If you're one of my super regular readers (hi Mom), you maaaaaaaaaaaaybe noticed that this post is going up at a different time than usual. And that I didn't post anything at all yesterday! What the what??
In an ever ongoing effort to (somewhat gracefully) manage this life that is all about being called MOM, I'm changing around my posting schedule. Instead of posting five evenings in a row (whew!), I'm switching to three mornings a week of just recipes. Which means I'm cutting way down on recipe collections (although I'll still post those every once in a while) and moving my personal posts to the weekend. So the actual number of recipes posted each week won't change, I'm just cutting down on the clutter in between.
Speaking of recipes… is there anything better than a perfect buttermilk pancake recipe?
The answer is, of course, no. Because NOTHING is better than buttermilk pancakes.
I used to wake up at 5:00in the morning in high school just to make myself a big pancake breakfast before I had to leave for my early morning class. And it never ever bothered me. Because freshly made pancakes were totallllllllly worth it. I'd get to class and my friends would be nibbling on a poptart or saying something about how they just aren't that hungry in the mornings, blah, blah, blah.
I'd nod along and agree and pretend that I wasn't a pancake addict psycho who needed to wake up at the crack of dawn to get her fix.
Truthfully, not much has changed. I'll still do whatever it takes to get my pancake breakfast in a couple of times a week at least. And, of course, my 5-year-old doesn't mind. We take our breakfast carbs verrrrrrry seriously around here ????.
This is my favorite pancake recipe to date! It makes incredible soft and fluffy pancakes with minimal effort. The most important thing to remember is to use REAL buttermilk (not the milk + vinegar substitute). As long as you use real buttermilk, you'll get beautifully fluffy and thick pancakes every time.
Question of the Day:
What's your favorite thing to put on pancakes? Tell me on Instagram!
Buttermilk Pancakes
Fluffy buttermilk pancakes from scratch that are so easy to make, you'll never be tempted to buy a mix again!
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat a griddle to 350ºF.
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk just until batter forms (there will still be some lumps).
Pour 1/4 cup of batter on to the buttered griddle for each pancake. Let cook for about one minute, until the edges start to look try and pocks form on the top. Flip and cook on the other side for about a minute.
Serve warm with maple syrup, strawberries, and butter!
Try my Whole Wheat version next!
Here's my Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes. They melt in your mouth!


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About FDA
Materials from the Webinar on Indoor Tanning: The Risks of UV Radiation
Do you have questions about Indoor Tanning? Did you know that FDA regulates tanning beds?
On Wednesday, May 26, FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health hosted a 30-minute Webinar on Indoor Tanning and the Risks of UV Radiation.
Featured speakers, Sharon Miller, M.S.E.E., FDA Ultraviolet Radiation Expert and Varsha Savalia, M.P.H, FDA Tanning Products Compliance Officer from the Division of Mammography Quality and Radiation Programs, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, explained what UV radiation is, discussed the risks of UV radiation, and described steps to reduce the risks associated with the use of tanning beds. After the presentation, there was an opportunity to ask questions.
Download Indoor Tanning presentation slides (PDF)
Web address for viewing archived presentation with audio (the audio is temporarily unavailable from 1:30 - 2:35): https://collaboration.fda.gov/p74718462/
- What products are regulated as electronic products that emit radiation?
- Where can I find more information about a specific type of product?
- What routine requirements apply to manufacturers of radiation-emitting electronic products?
- Does FDA approve radiation-emitting electronic products?
- How does FDA regulate radiation-emitting electronic products?
- What happens when a radiation-emitting electronic product is also a medical device or is used for irradiation or inspection of food?
- Materials from the Webinar on Indoor Tanning: The Risks of UV Radiation
- Who can I contact if my question wasn't answered or if I have additional questions in the future?
- How can I find out how much radiation I receive during an x-ray?
- What should I do before getting a diagnostic medical x-ray?
- What is FDA's role in overseeing and regulating radiation-emitting electronic products?
- What is a radiation-emitting electronic product?
How helpful was this information?


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Above & Beyond bringing ABGT250 to the Gorge this Fall still has us jumping for joy! Feel the same? Full of excitement and don't know what to do with it as the calendar slowly flips toward September? How about a little Spring workout?! While it certainly doesn't feel like it, sunny days are on the horizon as we approach festival season. Staying healthy to partake in events like Paradiso and Fvded is a major key. Another? Tunes to work out to. And Anjunabeats has got you covered!
Featuring tracks from Arty, Andrew Bayer, Mat Zo, and other Anjuna favorites (including Above & Beyond), this 18-track playlist is sure to get those workout vibes going! Take a listen below! You'd totally do some cardio to Ferry Corsten's Rock Your Body Rock…right?!
Giselle Grant, wife of A&B's Jono, curates this soundtrack, which is currently available to stream and download on Spotify and Apple Music. In addition to being the wife of 1/3rd of one of the biggest groups in trance music, Giselle works as a certified London-based personal trainer. According to A&B, Jono tested and approved of his spouse's selection. Now that's an endorsement we can get behind!
What songs do you enjoy working out to? Share some of your favorites in the comment section below!
Get all the latest Pacific Northwest nightlife news, directly to your inbox.


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Hey, Feudalists!
This week we have released a patch with a bunch of important bug fixes and some tweaks based on your feedback.
Now, let us tell you more about the 0.2.5 patch we are focused on that is scheduled for next week. Based on your feedback and our research, we have come out with some new features and tweaks, and would like to tell you more about them this week:
- Skill raise bonus for the favorites of gods. Along with common sacrifices and activities players will be able to sacrifice experience to our gods. During the Archimankur and Makthrid elections, the top 100 player-favorites of each god will get an increased speed of XP to skill points conversion for the next day.
- Fief size increase. You will be able to spend certain amounts of precious metals in order to increase the size of your fief by 1 tile in all directions. If you upgrade two neighboring fiefs in this manner, that will effectively remove the neutral tiles line between them and will allow you to build the bigger towns and castles without being afraid that certain parts will decay!
- Military outpost. The only type of outpost that can be constructed on any distant fief. Slightly cheaper to construct and upgrade, though still will require a certain amount of effort. This outpost does not produce anything. Consider it to be the main guild vs guild offensive outpost. Overseer and slaves will act as archers and will attack any player that does not have "Can enter" access set on the fief.
- IB totem price lowered to 10 Gold Coins. In combination with a cheaper level 3 Military outpost, this should kick start the global wars for provinces.
- Centralized outpost support payments and God's Coins can be used to pay the upkeep. You will be able to use God's Coins to pay for your monument and outposts. Also, you will be able to open the interface on your Guild Monument that will show the list of all your guild outposts. This interface will allow you to pay for their support remotely.
- Significantly lowered support costs for all levels of monuments and outpost. To reduce the grinding pressure on our players.
- Boosted loot quality from natives. Both guaranteed and random drop loot from natives will be significantly increased to make Native villages more rewarding to raid or to ambush those who are raiding
- Inspired work booster. We've promised that settlers of Godenland will have the Pioneer amulet for a month. We are going to allow these amulets to remain with their owners, but the special effect of this amulet that allowed you to perform all activities 20% faster will be removed. We're going to implement a premium shop booster that will temporarily provide the player with the same effect.
- Last but not the least… climbing mode and siege ladders! You will not be stuck in the bug/death pits, or high in the mountain pockets. The same climbing mode will allow you to use steep siege ladders to scale the walls! No more barkboxes and sleeping bags - but proper siege ladders and siege platforms!
As many of you are well aware - we had a spur of the moment PvP AMA in our Discord a week ago about "barkboxing" into enemy castles outside of JH. The result of this AMA was a poll that was running for an about the week.
"Do you want to change the rules on the Godenland in a way, that you and other players will BE ABLE to drop movable objects (bark boxes for instance) on an enemy fief OUTSIDE of JH hours in order to get over walls and raid?"
With over 5000 votes cast we have the following results:
Yes - 42.4%
No - 57.6%
We agree with the majority that it is good to have relative safety inside the perimeter of your walls outside of JH. We have also not forgotten the PVP hungry players and have a sweet treat for them too - new siege ladders should make it possible to get over palisade and stone walls EVEN if they're placed on top of a heavily terraformed slope! That means that during JH almost all types of fortifications will be vulnerable to assaults using these siege ladders and the brave warriors that use them to get in and wreak havoc!
This weekend we're introducing brand new Boar Spear skins in the store at 25% off.
The Boar Spear is the heaviest of the spears, and it deals the biggest damage of them all.
Due to its fine balancing, it also has a quick swing, which will benefit you on the battlefield, in the Arena or out in the wild on a hunt.
It's easy to build starting from level 30 Weaponsmithing, and now you can decorate it to your liking at a special price!
Speaking of hunting and more - this week the Treasure hunt event is in full swing, and we were blessed to see so many of you participating and exploring the vast map for these chests. If for some reason you haven't joined the fun yet - don't waste another second, and stay tuned to our Discord for instructions and hints!
If you have any feedback on the Treasure Hunt event or suggestion about the future events, please message the LiF team about it!
Have a great weekend!
— The team


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Mathematics: Mathematics and Computer Science
Knowledge of mathematical facts and procedures is indispensable to a satisfactory understanding of every field of science. This is true for both the physical and biological sciences, and even the humanities are influenced by the traditions of mathematical knowledge. Mathematical skills and processes are central to the development and practice of critical thought and expression. Physics is the science that seeks to employ mathematics to explain the universe and its phenomena. Courses in mathematics and physics at Kentucky State University are designed to integrate theoretical and practical topics.
The Division of Mathematics and Sciences offers a Mathematics degree with four options: Pure Mathematics, Mathematics/Applied (Pre- Engineering), Actuarial Science, and Mathematics with Teaching Certification. Minors in Mathematics and Physics are also offered. Additionally, a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science is offered.
Incoming students who desire to pursue a mathematics degree option should declare a Pre-Mathematics major. Once a student has completed MAT 120 with a C or better, he may request in writing to the Division of Mathematics and Sciences to convert to a Mathematics major.
Curriculum Guides
Curriculum guides are designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester, known as milestones. Milestones may include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA.
Following the sample academic plan and its milestones will help students stay on track to graduate in four years. Students will need to refer to and/or print both the appropriate Liberal Studies Requirements AND the appropriate major sheet in order to view the complete degree program requirements.
- Liberal Studies General Core Requirements
- Liberal Studies Requirements: Whitney Young School Honors Program
Program Requirements
Students may earn a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science by completing this program. Either mathematics or computer science may be selected as the first major. The student receives a degree appropriate for the first major (either a B.A. or a B.S.) with a notation of the second major. Students who satisfy the Liberal Studies requirement through the Liberal Studies General Core courses must take MAT 131 in place of MAT 111, PHY 211 in place of the second natural science. Students who satisfy the Liberal Studies requirement through the Whitney Young Honors courses must take MAT 131, PHY 211, and MAT 304 in place of HON 122 and HON 221. The remaining program requirements, in addition to the rest of the Liberal Studies requirements and the University's graduation requirements, are: MAT 132, MAT 231, MAT 232, MAT 300, MAT 307, MAT 315, MAT 321, MAT 401, MAT 402, COS 108, COS 109, COS 300, COS 301, COS 302, COS 310, COS 340, COS 410, COS 470, PHY 212, 3 semester hours of 300/400 level elective selected from either computer science or mathematics, and 3 semester hours of COS 200/300/400 elective. While each major also requires 6 hours of free elective, students may choose to satisfy the 6 hours in one major with required courses in the other major. All computer science and mathematics elective courses must be approved by the mathematics and computer science faculties. On the basis of placement test scores, students may also be required to complete MAT 095, 097, 115, 120. This curriculum requires 120 total semester credit hours.


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National and local experts came together recently to attend a roundtable discussion to address the growing issue of hunger among older adults in Philadelphia. Hosted by AARP Pennsylvania and the AARP Foundation, experts representing organizations such as Philabundance, Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, Share Food Program and others joined local officials to discuss various ways to break down barriers to connect older adults to food assistance across the city.
In Philadelphia over 330,000 people are at risk for hunger, and nationally nearly 9 million older adults face food insecurity. More older adults are experiencing hunger and are more at risk since the recession began. "In communities across the city, trusted organizations have been doing a heroic job of helping those who struggle with hunger, but the number of people in crisis is growing every day," says Bill Johnston-Walsh, AARP Pennsylvania State Director. "Through the work being done by hunger advocates across the city and AARP Foundation's "Drive to End Hunger initiative, we are working to raise awareness about the growing problem and develop long-term solutions," says Johnston-Walsh.
The roundtable aimed at raising the awareness among older adults was the first thought leadership round table of its kind hosted by AARP Pennsylvania and was one of several gatherings held by the association, including a meeting held with Philadelphia faith leaders.
A reception honored community organizations who have demonstrated outstanding efforts on the fight to end hunger in the Delaware Valley. "These local organizations are known for their long standing history in using local resources, creativity and passion to make our community a better place," says Johnston-Walsh.
Organizations being honored included WPVI-6 ABC, Food Share Program,and Philadbundance.-
In Philadelphia over 470,000 people participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides low-income residents with monthly food assistance to buy food at grocery stores, farmers' markets and small businesses. These glaring statistics among others served as a platform for AARP Pennsylvania in partnership with the AARP Foundation to award several Philadelphia based community organizations micro grants to aid in the costs of serving the vulnerable 50+ in the fight against hunger. Saint John's Hospice, St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission were selected to receive the micro grants in the amount of $500, used to assist their hunger relief efforts and healthy eating programs in the community among the 50+ population in Philadelphia.
AARP has 1.8 million members in Pennsylvania. Follow AARP Pennsylvania on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AARPPA and on Twitter @AARPPA .


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WE have to pay? But my charge cards are all maxed out! Looks like I going to find out what that "other" way to pay is.
Oh you poor thing, its the only way to pay
EEEPPPP, we are in so much trouble!
*Waves* I am still here btw
Looking forward to getting started with this one!
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Getting dropped off at Grandma's house could be a total snooze. Hours of sitting in the rocking chairs. But not this Grandma. Up she hops to wheel out the record player. And then, with kitty as the DJ—a dance party! The twist, the swing, the Monster Mash—they rock, rock, rock, at Granny's house tonight.
Then right as Mom returns, everyone crashes out in the rocking chairs. Just another boring night at Grandma's (Mom thinks). Wink!
Includes pictures of easy to follow dance steps like the side pass, cuddle, and underarm turn.
Rock Away Granny is a fun, entertaining read for kids. The illustrations are engaging and do a great job of supporting the text and keeping little ones interested in the story. My girls really enjoy reading this book and practising the dance steps illustrated within it before bed.
I love the special relationship between the granddaughter and her grandmother, it is the perfect book for any grandparent and grandchild duo in your life!
About the Author:
Mike DeSantis is an illustrator who contributes regularly to Highlights for Children magazine. He lives with his family near Cleveland, Ohio.


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The word "boutique" typically refers to a small shop or business, but in some cases, the term has more to do with the firms' focus than with its actual size. We are not a franchise firm and we don't want to be. Unlike your boxed franchise real estate firms who hire hundreds of real estate agents, we hand select our agents for their knowledge and professionalism. We only hire the best people who we feel will deliver exceptional customer service.
High quality consulting rather than offering general real estate consulting means a better experience for our clients. Our agents are passionate about helping our customers reach their goals and delivering a more personal experience. We value quality, not quantity. We deliver extraordinary.
Lane Realty Group works with properties located within Hendricks County, East Putnam County and Heritage Lake. We work with both buyers and sellers.
Patricia Lane
Pat has over 30 years of real estate experience servicing buyers and sellers in the Hendricks County and eastern Putnam County areas. She prides herself on her relationships with her clients and gets most of her business from referrals and recommendations.
She keeps up with the latest tools and trends to make sure that her properties are marketed to their full extent to also be a resource for buyers. Since 98% of buyers start their home search online, she has aggressive online marketing campaigns and networks with other Agents to reach the largest audience possible.
Pat grew up in Danville, Indiana and currently lives in Danville with her husband who is a real estate investor. Together with their families, they love to boat, wakeboard, surf, and cook together. She is an excellent resource for information on schools, community/social events and home services. Contact Pat for more information on any of her services with no obligation!


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Page Content
- Account Setup
- Expanded Services (GradeMark and PeerMark)
- Student Enrollment into a Class
- Paper Submissions
- Viewing Assignments
- Evaluating Originality Reports
Account Setup
Q: Who is allowed to set up a Turnitin instructor account?
A: Only Penn State instructors and staff who teach a bona fide Penn State course may create accounts at Turnitin. Assistants can be added to an instructor via the Master Course option. This allows both the instructor and assistant to access Turnitin material.
Requests for accounts relating to other academic purposes may be granted on a case by case basis. Students cannot be given access to Turnitin independent of their instructor or adviser.
Q: How is an instructor account created?
Many accounts are created automatically. See details on the Get Started page.
Q: Is it possible to add a TA to an instructor account?
A: Yes, it is possible to add a TA to a class or classes by creating a master class. To create a master class, follow the steps for creating a class, but select "master class" instead of "standard class" from the pull down menu.
Assignments can be added to the master class homepage and are then available to all of the sections of the master course. See TAs and Master Classes for more informaiton.
Q: I followed the instructions to activate an instructor account, but can't see the instructor tools.
If you were enrolled in Turnitin as a student in the past, then you have both student and instructor access. When you log in, you will need to change the student option to instructor.
Note: This scenario can happen to graduate students or to anyone who enrolled themselves as a student within a course for testing purposes.
Expanded Services (GradeMark and PeerMark)
Q: Does Turnitin include access to GradeMark, eRater grammar checking and PeerMark?
Yes. As of July 2013, these services were added to the Penn State Turnitin account along with the original Originality Check report. All instructors have access to these services.
Q: How do instructors access these services?
All instructor accounts include access to all three main Turnitin services for both new accounts and previously existing accounts. No extra steps are needed beyond the initial account setup.
Q: How can instructors learn more?
The GradeMark & PeerMark page in the Get Started section has a QuickStart Guide and links to other help sources.
Q: Clicking the student's paper title in the assignment area no longer shows the Originality Report. Where is it now?
The reports viewer now defaults to the GradeMark (blue) tab. Click the Originality (red) tab to view the Originality Report.
Q: Can instructors use Turnitin GradeMark or PeerMark WITHOUT the Originality Report option?
Yes. Instructors can disable the Originality Check when creating an assignment in the Assignment Options area.
Q: Can the rules of the eRater Grammar Checker be modified?
Not at this time, although instructors can select from a variety of rule sets in the Assignment Options area. The eRater tool can be disabled in the Assignment Options area if desired.
Q: Can GradeMark comments and rubrics be exported between courses? How about PeerMark questions?
Yes. Once a GradeMark rubric or comment set is created in one course, it is available to all courses taught by the same instructor. Instructors can click the Libraries tab in their account to see a list of these items.
The same is true for PeerMark questions.
Q: Can GradeMark comments and rubrics be shared with other instructors?
Yes. Both tools include an export option which downloads a file. If you give that file to another instructor, he or she can upload the file into any course. Once uploaded, it will be available in the instructor's Library.
Note: There is no export tool available for PeerMark Questions.
Q: Can instructors log in with the Turnitin Grade Anywhere iPad app?
Unfortunately, the new app is not integrated with Penn State single sign on, so Penn State instructors are not able to use the application at this time.
As an alternative, instructors can log in via https://turnitin.psu.edu/ and use some Turnitin services on the Safari or other mobile browser. Supported services there include class and assignment set up, basic review of Originality Reports and basic review of past graded assignments.
Student Enrollment into a Class
Q: How are students enrolled into a Turnitin class?
A: Students are enrolled into Turnitin classes created by instructors. There are two options to enroll Students students into a class.
Option 1 (Student Self Enrollment) – Instructors can give the class ID and enrollment password (NOT the Penn State Turnitin ID and password for creating an account) to students and have them enroll themselves. The class ID and password are created when an instructor creates a Turnitin class.
Option 2 (Upload Roster) – Instructors can upload a roster file from ANGEL or another source.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of students that can be enrolled in a Turnitin class?
A: There is no limit to the number of students enrolled in a single class, however, Turnitin limits the number of students that can be uploaded at one time to 100 names. For classes with more than 100 students, multiple student lists can be uploaded.
There is also a limit of one instructor per class, regardless of class size. If you need to split a course across multiple instructors or assistants, a master course can be used to create multiple course sections.
Q: I forgot my class id number and enrollment password. How can I access this information?
A: See information below for different scenarios.
- Students and TAs should contact the instructor for the code and password information.
- Instructors can log in to https://turnitin.psu.edu and view the list of courses. The class id is the number listed before the course title.
To view the enrollment password, click the edit link (gear icon) after class name to view your class enrollment password. Follow the same procedure for TA passwords for sections in a master class.
Note: Instructors can change your enrollment password by updating a class or section. To update a section password, click the edit icon for the appropriate section of the master course.
Paper Submissions
Q: How do students submit papers?
A: Instructors first create a course with at least one assignment. Once a student is enrolled in a course, he or she can upload a paper into a particular assignment. Instructions for students are available.
Assignments can also be uploaded from an exported ANGEL dropbox if the instructor desires.
Q: What kinds of text files can be uploaded into Turnitin?
A: Turnitin allows upload of the following text-file formats
MS Word, HTML, WordPerfect, RTF, PDF, plain text, and PostScript.
Image files can be uploaded and assessed if they are embedded in a Word or PDF file.
Q: Can instructors submit papers to Turnitin from ANGEL?
A: The Turnitin plugin for ANGEL is not activated at Penn State. Instructors can download the contents of an ANGEL Dropbox and upload the contents into Turnitin.
Q: Can students submit drafts to be checked in the Originality Report?
A: Yes. Instructors should create an assignment for each draft. In the Optional Settings, instructors should set the "Submit papers to:" field to no repository. For the final paper, instructors should create a new assignment and let the check run as the instructor normally would. See detailed instructions at Turnitin.com.
Viewing Assignments
Q: How do instructors view the items submitted to a class?
A: To access the assignment inbox, from within a class, click View link next to the name of the assignment for which you want to view.
- Click the name of the paper to view all reports. The view will default to the GradeMark report.
- To view the Originality or PeerMark report, click the colored tabs at the top of the report viewer.
- To download a paper with report text, click the printer icon at the bottom of the report tab and select the option for Download PDF of current view for printing.
Note: Each report must be downloaded individually.
Q: Clicking the student's paper title in the assignment area no longer shows the Originality Report. Where is it now?
The reports viewer now defaults to the GradeMark (blue) tab. Click the Originality (red) tab to view the Originality Report.
Q: Can students submit multiple drafts of an assignment without having the drafts compared against their previous submission(s)?
A: Yes. Create an assignment for initial drafts, then open the Assignment Options area and ensure that Submit papers to option is set to no repository.
Q: Can instructors view all assignments from an individual student?
A: To view all submissions by a particular student in your class, click the students tab to open your students page. Click on the name of the student to open a portfolio containing all of his or her submissions to your class.
Q: Can instructors download all papers with GradeMark comments?
Yes. Log in to Turnitin and select an assigment to view, then check any paper you wish to download (this will reveal a yellow menu bar). In the revealed menu, click Download and select the option for GradeMark paper.
A .zip file will be created for you and within a few minutes can be downloaded from the Messages link area at the very top of the screen.
Note: The reports will not include the Originality or PeerMark reports.
Evaluating Originality Reports
Q: What sources does Turnitin check?
By default, the Originality report checks the following sources:
- A large set of public Websites including Wikipedia, news sources and other informational sources
- Multiple databases of journal articles to which Turnitin has subscribed
- A repository of previously submitted documents
- English and non-English content
Q: What copyright and privacy protections are in place for student assignments?
There is very limited instructor and student access to materials uploaded into Turnitin outside a particular class. If a report identifies a match in a student assignment, the instructor must contact the second instructor to request access to the source.
Students still retain all rights to publish and use their work as they see fit. Further, any student can request that a paper be removed from the database. Requests should be sent from instructors to IT Service Desk for security purposes.
Finally instructors can block all papers from being entered into the repository in the Assignment Options area if he or she desires.
Q: If the copied material indicated in the Originality Report is from an Internet source, is it possible to see the actual text of the document?
A: Yes. First, you would need to click on the color box indicating the percentage of copied material in the paper. While viewing the Originality Report, click on the link to the copied material and the text from the original source will be displayed.
Q: The Originality Report indicates that some text comes from another paper in the Turnitin database. How can instructors access this paper?
A: The source will include a link to contact the instructor of the other paper. For privacy reasons, only the instructor can grant access to the paper. If you need additional assistance, please contact IT Service Desk.
Q: Is there a minimum score to indicate plagiarism in the Originality report?
A: Turnitin does not determine if cheating has occurred. After papers are submitted, the Turnitin system creates an Originality Report for each file. The Originality Report only indicates if there is copied text. The instructor must still evaluate each assignment submission to determine whether the copied material has been cited correctly or not.
If an instructor suspects that an infraction has occurred, it is recommended that a meeting with the student be held first before beginning any official procedures. Instructors can also consult with their department or college for additional guidance.
Q: How does an instructor give students access to their Originality Reports?
A: This can be done by editing the settings for a particular assignment to allow students to view Originality Reports in the Assignment Options area.
Q: How is plagiarism defined at Penn State?
A: Plagiarism is the act of stating or implying that another person's work is your own. For more information see TLT's Plagiarism site, specifically Information for Faculty. Instructors should consider how they will determine whether an apparent instance of plagiarism is accidental or intentional, what percentage of plagiarism (either accidental or intentional) will be tolerated, and what the consequences will be. These criteria may vary from course to course and assignment to assignment.
Additional Questions
Q: Where else can I go for information?
Additional Support resources and contacts are listed on the
Help + Support page.


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Little Rock Fire and Rescue is currently managed by joe schilling. But, multiple personnel can manage a fire department.
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Photography Credit: Clean Energy Collective
States across the country are exploring shared renewables as an additional pathway to connect even more consumers with the clean energy they want. Because the model is still relatively new, states are testing different policy paths to help their consumers plug into shared solar. While policy specifics may vary state to state, they should all achieve these four guiding principles:
Read our case studies to see how different states are successfully advancing shared renewables.