ABSTRACT By interagency agreement the U.S. Navy/NOAA Joint Ice Center will provide the management structure and coordination necessary to establish and maintain a network of drifting meteorological buoys in the Arctic. The buoys will be emplaced at a sufficient spatial resolution and longevity to define surface synoptic scale atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and sea ice fields. The data will be made available in real time for operational weather forecasting and will be used by researchers for studying global change in the climatically-sensitive Arctic. ??