ship observations team

Elizabeth KentNational Oceanographic Centre (UK)

for Graeme BallChairman, Ship Observations Team

Ship Observations Team

1st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop, 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA.

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1st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA.

Outline

Composition of the SOT. Status of the component programs. Objectives of the SOT. Relationship with JCOMM & the JCOMM structure. Working arrangements of the SOT. Panel Chairs & meetings of the SOT. Achievements by the SOT. Collaboration between the SOT & SAMOS/GOSUD. Website links.

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Composition of the SOT

SOT consists of a group of enduring and successful data collection programs:• Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) Scheme;• Ship of Opportunity Programme (SOOP);• Automated Shipboard Aerological Programme (ASAP).

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Status of the VOS Scheme

VOS:• Surface meteorological data from all oceans & coastal areas;

• Globally about 5,400 ships (March 2006), inc. 150 for VOSClim;

• Real-time data on the GTS (SHIP) & delayed-mode data;

• 220,000 real-time observations per month (January 2006);

• Most ships transmit their real-time data by Inmarsat C;

• AWS installed on 140 ships (December 2004) compared to 81 in December 2002. 35 AWS planned for installation in 2005.

VOSClim – VOS Climate Project• High quality reference subset of the VOS for climate research,

modelling applications & benchmarking.

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Global VOS Observations

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Status of the SOOP

XBT SOOP:• Upper-ocean thermal profiles on repeat sampling lines;• Globally about 70 ships, mostly on merchant & research ships;• Real-time data on the GTS (BATHY) & delayed-mode data;• 24000 profiles annually.

Multi-disciplinary underway sampling:• Atm. & ocean carbon, fluorescence, pigments, temp. & salinity.• Mostly on research ships, often with high-density XBT;• Real-time (profile & surface) temperature & salinity on the GTS;• Other parameters used and archived by the operating agency.

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Global XBT Sampling Lines

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Objectives of the SOT

To manage, coordinate and, wherever possible, integrate the VOS Scheme, SOOP and ASAP to support a range of well defined operational and research applications.

To liaise and coordinate with other groups involved in using volunteer ships as environmental observing platforms with a view to their participation in the SOT.

To foster greater national coordination between agencies involved in similar or related programs.

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Relationship with JCOMM

SOT sits alongside the DBCP and the GLOSS-GE as the three Implementation Panels in the Observations Programme Area of JCOMM*.

JCOMM is the reporting and coordinating mechanism for the operational marine activities of WMO and IOC.

Formally established in 1999 through a merger of the Commission for Marine Meteorology of WMO and the Integrated Global Ocean Services System of IOC.

* WMO/IOC Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology

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JCOMM Structure

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Working Arrangements

SOT meets every two years and incorporates plenary sessions of the VOSP, SOOPIP and ASAPP.

Most work is undertaken during the inter-sessional period by specific Task Teams that report at SOT.

Scientific guidance is provided by expert panels and bodies for climate and operational meteorology.

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Panel Chairs in the SOT

SOT Graeme Ball Australia

VOSP Julie Fletcher New Zealand

SOOPIP Steve Cook United States

ASAPP Sarah North United Kingdom

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Meetings of the SOT

Session Date Location Plenary Sessions

1 Mar 2001 Goa, India. VOSP-II, SOOPIP-IV, ASAPP-XIII

2 July 2003 London, UK. VOSP-III, SOOPIP-V, ASAPP-XIV

(with PMO-II & VOSClim-IV)

3 Mar 2005 Brest, France. VOSP-IV, VOSClim-V, SOOPIP-VI, ASAPP-XV.

4 Apr 2007 Rome, Italy. VOSP-V, SOOPIP-VII, ASAPP-XVI

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Achievements by the SOT

Greater cooperation and coordination between:• The VOSP, SOOPIP & ASAPP;• International VOS, SOOP & ASAP operators;• National agencies operating similar programs.

Liaison with other groups that use volunteer ships as observing platforms:• International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project; • SeaKeepers International;• SAMOS/GOSUD;• Ferrybox Project.

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Increasing use of Port Meteorological Officers (PMOs) to find ships for sampling programs operated by other national agencies:• The Master only has to deal with one familiar face;• Reduced number of visitors wanting to meet with the Master.

Spreading the load to ensure that better reporting and more obliging ships are not over-tasked with sampling programs.

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Greater deployment opportunities in support of global drifting buoy and profiling float programs.

Improved channels of communications between VOS & PMO Focal Points.

Greater involvement in PMO training and in defining the role, responsibility & functions of the PMO.

Lead role in defining the VOS metadata requirements.

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Revised Terms of Reference for JCOMMOPS were approved at JCOMM-II (Halifax, September 2005) to increase the level of support to the SOT.

Raising awareness of the need for:• Comprehensive observer training and re-training;• Equipment standards leading to data quality assurance;• Regular instrument calibration checks or replacement;• Robust data processing and reporting methods;• Data quality control and quality monitoring.

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Enhanced VOS monitoring tools:• Timeliness of receipt of observations (UKMO);• Multi-recruitment (Météo France);• Data quality monitoring (UKMO).

Integration opportunities provided by the Task Team on VOS Recruitment and Programme Promotion:• Design Guidelines for shipbuilders;• SOT Certificate of Appreciation;• SOT flyer;• Ship recruitment presentation.

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Catalogue of national barometer & barograph types, their default pressure settings & inspection regimes by the Task Team on Instrument Standards, to assist ship inspections outside the country of recruitment.

Preliminary catalogue of available meteorological instruments and their conformance to WMO standards by the Task Team on Instrument Standards.

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Ship security:• Raised at SOT-III (Brest, March 2005) with a recommendation to

WMO to stop BBXX getting into the public domain;

• Discussed at WMO EC-57 (Geneva, June-July 2005), but the extent of the problem was probably not fully appreciated;

• Raised at JCOMM-II (Halifax, September 2005) with a strong statement of support from JCOMM;

• Recommendation from PMO-III (Hamburg, March 2006) that at EC-58 (Geneva, June 2006), WMO recommends that NMS reclassify the BBXX from essential data to additional data.

• If the recommendation at EC-58 is supported by all countries (AU and US have indicated support), this will stop websites from displaying ship positions based on their BBXX.

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Potential Collaboration

Promoting standards:• Instrument/sensor accuracy & resolution;• Ship or platform inspection regime;• Instrument/sensor performance checks• Sensor traceability to national/international standards;• Observing methods;• Observer/operator training;• Real-time data delivery;• Quality monitoring of real time data & strategies to expediently

resolve problems or errors;• Quality control procedures for delayed-mode data;• Data submission to GDAC or GCC.

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Potential Collaboration

Metadata:• Ship or platform particulars;• Instrument types and make;• Instrument exposure;• Observing program;• Instrument/sensor calibration.

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Website Links

JCOMM www.wmo.ch/web/aom/marprog/

SOT www.jcommops.org/sot/

VOS www.bom.gov.au/jcomm/vos/

SOOP www.ifremer.fr/ird/soopip/

JCOMMOPS www.jcommops.org

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ship observations team

Documents