Marine surface data are segregated from Global Telecommunication System (GTS) data stream at the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The GTS records have global distribution and are from ships, buoys, and other platforms at frequencies native to each respective observing system. The data include many parameters from complete ship surface meteorological observations (wind, atmospheric pressure and and temperature, cloudiness, sea surface temperature, etc.) to limited variables from drifting buoy observations (sea surface temperature and atmospheric pressure). Beginning in March 1997 these data have been collected and archived primarily to support the development of the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). Periodically, the GTS data are processed, quality assurance checked, combined with other data sources, and included in ICOADS.

These data may be suitable for some very specific studies, but it is generally recommended that ICOADS be used instead. The ICOADS observations and ICOADS monthly summary statistics are also available, as is much more information on the ICOADS project website