Report to CLIVAR SSG-11 | |||||
Report
to the 11th session of the CLIVAR Scientific Steering Group
The following is a status report of moored programs in all three ocean basins in support of CLIVAR, GOOS, and GCOS. PACIFIC 1. TAO/TRITON The TAO/TRITON array
in the Pacific continues to effectively serve a wide community of scientists
involved in seasonal-to-interannual climate research and forecasting.
The availability of data in real-time, its high quality, and its widespread
dissemination via the GTS and the World Wide Web are hallmarks of TAO/TRITON.
The data from this array underpins recent forecasts issued by NCEP and
the WMO of developing warm conditions in the tropical Pacific for 2002
(view these conditions at /tao/jsdisplay/). An NOAA funded extension
of TAO in the Eastern Pacific will continue until late 2003 in support
of the PACS/EPIC program. This extension consists of 3 additional moorings
along 95W, plus salinity, velocity, and a complete suite of surface flux
meteorological sensors on all ten 95W moorings. Continuation of the PACS/EPIC
moorings and their enhancements as part of the TAO/TRITON array is currently
a topic of discussion. There is a reasonably
stable base of resources at present in terms of funding, shiptime, personnel
for TAO/TRITON. However, one concern in the US is that funding levels
are fixed and, without adjustments, inflation and other unexpected operating
costs will slowly erode the ability to maintain the array. Another concern
is that vandalism by fishing fleets continues to adversely affect data
return and equipment return, particular on the eastern and western margins
of the array. In the coming 1-2
years, TAO/TRITON will focus efforts to
2. South American
Buoy Programs Peru received World
Bank funding to acquire and deploy surface SeaWatch moored buoys made
by Oceanor as part of a program called NAYLAMP (http://www.naylamp.dhn.mil.pe/).
The moorings (5S and 8S along 85W, and two nearshore buoys at the same
latitudes) were first deployed in September 2000 and they extend TAO/TRITON
lines towards the South American coast. Surface and subsurface data are
transmitted via Argos in real time. The buoys have suffered from fishing
vandalism, and at present none is transmitting data. It is expected that
new moorings will be put in place in the near future. Ecuador has recently
received funding for purchase of 3 Oceanor moored buoys. These buoys will
be used to maintain two sites, one at 2S, 85W and one at 2S, 89W. Like
the Peruvian buoys, the Ecuadoran buoys will extend the TAO/TRITON array
to near the coast of South America. First deployments are planned for
May 2002. Data will be transmitted in real-time via Service Argos. Spearheaded by Chilean
scientists, plans have been drawn up in the past two years for an extensive
program of moorings spanning the west coast of South America between 5N
and 45S. Called OSEPA, this program would include the Peruvian and Ecuadoran
buoys as northern components. OSEPA has yet to be implemented because
it lacks funding. ATLANTIC The same technology
(ATLAS moorings) and data processing schemes are used for the French,
Brazilian, US PIRATA array in the Atlantic. This array was begun in 1997
and so does not yet have the track record that TAO/TRITON does in supporting
research and forecasting efforts. However, many research groups are using
the data in modeling and empirical studies of tropical Atlantic phenomenology
and in studies of how the ocean affects climate in this region. These
efforts were highlighted most recently at the CLIVAR Atlantic workshop
held in Paris in September 2001. In addition, institutions like NCEP,
ECMWF, IFREMER (through its CORIOLIS program) regularly utilize PIRATA
data in their operational analysis and forecast products. Adequacy of ship time
is an issue in the Atlantic. To date, France and Brazil have contributed
sufficient ship time for servicing buoys approximately once per year.
Data return was 75% during the past year, which is an improvement on previous
years but lower than in the Pacific. Part of the reason for the lower
return is because of less frequent buoy servicing (only once vs. twice
per year as in the Pacific). Vandalism by fishing fleets continues to
adversely affect data return and equipment return, particular on the Gulf
of Guinea region. The recent improvement in data return is in part related
to decommissioning two vandal-prone sites in this region. France, Brazil, and
the US signed a memorandum of understanding in Paris in August 2001 to
continue PIRATA for a 5-year "consolidation phase" (2001-2005). The agreement
stipulates specific shared responsibilities and a common objectives for
maintaining the array. Northwestern and southeastern extensions to PIRATA
are planned but are as yet unfunded. There have also been discussions
about instituting a Brazilian base of operations in Natal to support long
term operations for PIRATA and other elements of GOOS. INDIAN As yet there is nothing
approaching a full moored array in the Indian Ocean. There are several
interrelated science drivers for developing an Indian Ocean moored buoy
program in support of climate (e.g. the monsoons, Indian Ocean Dipole,
intraseasonal variability, etc) and efforts underway to establish an initial
moored buoy network for climate studies in the region. These efforts include
two JAMSTEC TRITON buoys deployed at 1.5S, 90E and 5S, 95E in October
2001 and the buoys of the Indian National Data Buoy Program in the Arabian
Sea, Bay of Bengal and along the equator. India maintains 5 deep sea moored
buoys and 5 coastal moored buoys, all measuring surface pressure, air
temperature, winds, SST, SSS, waves and surface currents. It also has
2 equatorial current meter moorings at 83E and 93E. The mooring at 83E
has an upward looking ADCP at 100m. As in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,
vandalism adversely affects data and equipment return. Shortly after deployment,
the TRITON buoy at 5S, 95E had several meteorological sensors fail in
a mode indicative of human interference. There have also been reports
of data losses from Indian buoys stemming from vandalism. There are interests in further building on these efforts through initiatives put forward by South Africa in collaboration with neighboring countries, within US academic and government labs, and elsewhere. Initial steps toward coordinated multi-national planning were taken during the SOCIO and TIP workshops held in Perth, Australia in November of 2000. A second SOCIO workshop will be held in Mauritius later in 2002 under auspices of the IOC to continue this coordination and development effort. |
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