The global in situ and satelliteobserving system and issues

Albert Fischer, Ed Harrison, Pierre-Yves Le Traon, J-L Fellous

GODAE-OOPC OSE and OSSE meetingParis, France, 5-7 November 2007

OOPC

• A panel of GCOS, GOOS, WCRP; advice to JCOMM

• Recommendations for a global system that provides data and information for climate monitoring and forecasting, assessment, and research

• including recommendations on phased implementation• strategies for evaluation and evolution of the system and its

recommendations• supporting observing system activities through liaison and advocacy for

agreed plans

Recommendations

October 2004

September 2006

Recommendations call for

• Global in situ observing networks– Argo profiling float network (maintain 3° network)– GLOSS/GCOS tide gauge network– DBCP surface drifting buoys (maintain 5° network)– OceanSITES reference moorings and transport monitoring sites– Volunteer Observing Ship (surface met) and Ship of Opportunity Programme

XBT lines– Ocean carbon: VOS, hydrography, time series

• global satellite observations– SST, altimetry (mix of orbits/resolutions), surface vector wind, colour, ice

• data systems• generation of products and information

System status (two-day snapshot)

JCOMM Observations Programme Area

Performance monitoring (density of buoy network)

JCOMM Observations Programme Area

Tropical moored buoys

• TAO/TRITON sustained• PIRATA Extensions implemented• Indian Ocean Array getting started

JCOMM Observations Programme Area

Argo: 3000

41 of 51 UOT XBT lines now occupied910 VOS reporting at least 25 obs/month

JCOMM Observations Programme Area

JCOMM Observations Programme Area

Deploying and maintaining 89 Ocean Reference Stations(42 now in service)

NOAA ContributionsFuture NOAAFuture NSF OOI

ITF and MOVEin transition to NOAA

38% complete

Measuring Ocean Carbon Sources and Sinks

1. Inventory 10-year survey2. Ships of opportunity3. Moored buoy time series

CEOS Assessment: the case for satellite altimetry

141312111009080706050403020100

ERS-2/RA

GODAE

ENVISAT/RA-2

TOPEX/Poséidon

Jason-1 Jason-2

SARAL

Sentinelle-3

CRYOSAT-2

End of lifeIn orbit Approved Planned/Decision pending

Data gap?

Data gapERS-1

Signature of a Jason-2 agreement by CNES, EUMETSAT, NASA and NOAA

GFO NPOESS

Jason-3?Data gap?

IPYHY-2

WSOA?

CEOS Assessment of ocean Essential Climate Variables

CEOS Virtual Constellations

• New implementation framework– To inspire and facilitate commitments aimed at harmonizing observations within CEOS members– To move CEOS discussions and agendas away from the general to the specific, based on

agreed standards and minimum requirements (technical and institutional)

• Four Prototype Constellations– Land Surface Imaging– Ocean Surface Topography– Global Precipitation Mission– Atmospheric Composition

• Study Teams established for each Constellation• GEO Task DA-07-03 “Virtual constellations”

How are the recommendations fixed?

• Alchemy of:– sustained observations needed to answer a pressing scientific question– technologically feasible to deploy globally– interest of funding agencies– building the consensus of the community to move forward in systems

approach

• Thus far based largely on expert judgment

• ‘State of the Ocean’ site beginning exploration of key climate indices and error

http://ioc.unesco.org/oopc/

• 10 years since OceanObs’99 (San Rafael): 21-25 September 2009, Venice, Italy

• Celebrate achievement: strong growth in routine and systematic observations of the world’s oceans

• Emphasize benefits for science, society• Sell the need to sustain the system• Revisit current recommendations• New opportunities

– biogeochemical state of the oceans– status of marine ecosystems

• http://www.oceanobs09.net

Challenges

• Sustaining the in situ and satellite networks– proving value for climate science and forecasting– proving value for ocean forecasting– proving value for society

• Your work will help us do that– invite you to consider this as a first step– What further evaluations/experiments can be done?– Are you willing and able to do them?– When would it be valuable to meet again?