## Program Plan

**For**

## Building a Sustained Ocean Observing System for Climate

Office of Climate Observation

Updated: March 2006

[Overall Summary]{.underline}

The mission of the Office of Climate Observation is to build and sustain
a global climate observing system that will respond to the long term
observational requirements of the operational forecast centers,
international research programs, and major scientific assessments.
Although the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) has identified
the critical need for the federal government to deliver regular reports
documenting the state of Earth's climate, an observing system does not
presently exist that is capable of accurately documenting climate
variability and change. Through this program plan NOAA will develop the
infrastructure necessary to build, with national and international
partners, the ocean component of a global climate observing system and
to deliver regular reports on the adequacy of the system in documenting
the ocean's contribution to climate.

[1.0 Base Program]{.underline}

**1.1 Key activities currently carried out by NOAA for this strategy
area:** Over the past decade NOAA has worked with national and
international partners to begin building a sustained global ocean system
for climate, focusing first on the tropical Pacific, and expanding to
the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. It is now well understood that
documenting and forecasting climate will require continuous measurements
from space along with the instrumenting of the entire global ocean. The
present international effort is about 55% of what will ultimately be
needed for the global system. NOAA presently maintains approximately 50%
of the *in situ* networks and 30% of the space components and is
committed to the goal of providing at least 50% of the composite system
over the long term.

The existing foundation is comprised of twelve complementary *in situ*,
space based, data and assimilation subsystems: 1) Global Tide Gauge
Network; 2) Global Surface Drifting Buoy Array; 3) Global Ships of
Opportunity Network; 4) Tropical Moored Buoy Network; 5) Argo Profiling
Float Array; 6) Ocean Reference Stations; 7) Ocean Carbon Monitoring
Network; 8) International Arctic Ocean Observing System; 9) Dedicated
Ship Operations; 10) Satellites for Sea Surface Temperature, Sea Surface
Height, Surface Vector Winds, Sea Ice, and Ocean Color; 11) Data and
Assimilation Subsystems, and 12) System Management and Product Delivery.
The system design is illustrated in Figure 1. This is an international
effort. The system illustrated in Figure 1 represents the common goals
and objectives of the international Global Climate Observing System
(GCOS), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Joint WMO/IOC
Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM),
the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), the U.S.
Integrated Ocean Observing System Global Component (IOOS), and well as
NOAA.

The plan is being advanced by NOAA via matrix management within the
Climate Goal. Implementation of the in situ networks is through
distributed centers of expertise at the NOAA Research laboratories, the
National Ocean Service Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and
Services, the National Data Buoy Center, and the university laboratories
that have developed the instruments and techniques. The space and data
components are centered in the NOAA Environmental Satellite, Data and
Information Service. The space components are being advanced via other
NOAA program planning; they are described here because of their central
role in global observation but they are not detailed in this plan. The
focal point for developing global ocean data assimilation capabilities
is the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in partnership with the
National Centers for Environmental Prediction and university-based
applied research centers. The system management functions are focused in
the Office of Climate Observation.

![](media/image1.pct){width="5.875in" height="3.25in"}**1.2 Budget and
funding history for each of the major activities (\$K)**

**[2.0 Statement of Need]{.underline}**

The *Second Report on the Adequacy of the Global Observing System for
Climate in Support of the UNFCCC* concludes "there has been progress and
improvement in the implementation of global climate observing systems
since the first report, especially in the use of satellite information
and in the provision of some ocean observations. At the same time, the
Report notes that the global terrestrial networks remain to be fully
implemented; the ocean networks lack global coverage and commitment to
sustained operations; and the atmospheric networks are not operating
with the required global coverage and quality. The Report concludes, in
agreement with the IPCC, that there remain serious deficiencies in the
ability of the current global observing systems for climate to meet the
observational needs of the UNFCCC. ...Without urgent action to address
these findings, the Parties will lack the information necessary to
effectively plan for and manage their response to climate change."

The Report goes on to note "new technology developed and proven by the
ocean climate programs of the 1990s has allowed the ocean community to
design and commence implementation of an initial ocean climate observing
system that is well focused on the UNFCCC needs. The first priority is
the full implementation of this system together with its associated
data, analysis and product capabilities."

In response to the Adequacy Report, the international community
published the GCOS *Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System
for Climate in support of the UNFCCC* (GCOS-92) in October 2004. This
implementation plan details the actions needed to achieve global
coverage by the ocean networks. The system put in place for climate will
also support global weather prediction, global and coastal ocean
prediction, marine hazard warning, marine environmental monitoring, and
many other non-climate users.

This program plan is founded on the international design noted in
GCOS-92; it is illustrated in Figure 1. Other requirement drivers
include the CCSP Strategic Plan expressing need for "complete global
coverage of the oceans with moored, drifting, and ship-based networks,"
and the US National Oceanographic Partnership Program's *First U.S.
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Development Plan* which lists
as a primary objective: "Continue implementing the global ocean-climate
component of the IOOS (important for addressing the goals of climate
change, maritime operations, and natural hazards)." NOAA's contribution
to global implementation is represented in the program budget and the
progress to date is illustrated in Figure 2. Implementation of this
program plan will demonstrate to the world community that the United
States is intent on taking immediate action to address the Second
Adequacy Report findings, is willing to play a leadership role in
achieving global coverage of the ocean networks, and is committed to
sustained operations.

**2.1 Program requirements to be met:** The NOAA Climate Goal is
organized into five Programs: 1) Climate Observations and Analysis; 2)
Climate Predictions and Projections; 3) Climate Forcing; 4) Climate and
Ecosystems; and (5 Regional Decision Support. This plan describes the
"ocean sub-capability" of the Climate Observations and Analysis Program.

**2.2 Input from NOAA leadership related to this strategy:** This
program plan addresses NOAA's Strategic Plan, Climate Strategies, and
the Annual Guidance Memorandum. In particular:

-   Strategic Plan: Describe and understand the state of the climate
    system through integrated observations, analysis, and data
    stewardship.

-   Climate Strategies: Improve the quality and quantity of climate
    observations, analysis, interpretation, and archiving by maintaining
    a consistent climate record and by improving our ability to
    determine why changes are taking place.

-   Annual Guidance Memorandum: The Integrated Ocean Observing System
    (IOOS) must be developed as a major component of the U.S.
    contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems
    (GEOSS).

**2.3 External constituent input related to the strategy area:** In 2001
the U.S. GOOS Steering Committee conducted a formal review of the 2001
version of this program plan. The review panel included international
representatives of the IOC, IGOS, CLIVAR, WOCE, OOPC, GODAE, and JCOMM
as well as partner agencies within the United States -- NASA and
NAVOCEANO. The seven summary recommendations of the review are
paraphrased below.

1.  Strong overall support for the plan. U.S. GOOS urged NOAA to
    implement the plan with the following additional recommendations:

2.  The need for a management plan -- An effort of the proposed
    magnitude must be integrated, organized, and managed as a system in
    order to be effective. The management plan should define an orderly
    decision making process with management accountability that is
    understood by other agencies and by customers. A single NOAA point
    of responsibility and authority is very desirable. Sections 7.0--7.8
    achieve this recommendation.

3.  The need for a data and information management budget. Section 6.12
    achieves this recommendation.

4.  The need for improved ocean products -- evaluation and delivery.
    Sections 7.0-7.8 achieve this recommendation.

5.  The need for transition to operations of precision altimetry.
    Section 6.11 achieves this recommendation.

6.  The need for ocean carbon monitoring to be better defined. Section
    6.8 achieves this recommendation.

7.  The need to deal with dedicated ship time issues. Section 6.10
    achieves this recommendation.

**2.4 Relevant Congressional input or guidance related to the strategy
area:** The FY03 Senate Committee on Appropriations Report "reaffirms
its support for the establishment of an integrated, interagency ocean
and coastal observing system ... and requests the submission of a plan
to implement such a system." The National Oceanographic Partnership
Program's Ocean.US office responded to this Congressional request on
behalf of the contributing agencies by publishing in 2005 the *First
U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Development Plan*. The
observation system detailed inthis program plan forms the nucleus of the
Global Component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System.

### [3.0 Program Initiative]{.underline}

**3.1 Overall strategy for addressing deficiencies outlined in the
Statement of Need Section.** The strategic approach underlying this
program plan is as follows:

-   Build the long-term ocean component of the observing system in the
    context of a comprehensive, multi-year, climate program. Improved
    marine and coastal forecast services will be immediate byproducts.

-   Set an initial 2000-2010 timeline for phased implementation (the
    time line has now been extended to 2012 because of budget
    realities).

-   Establish accountability by defining specific objectives and
    performance measures.

-   Define an "initial observing system design" that will accomplish the
    objectives and performance measures. Identify annual milestones to
    complete the initial system over the time line. Emphasize that the
    initial design is our best guess at this time -- it must be
    evolutionary as knowledge and technology advance.

-   State the obvious -- a global observing system cannot be built with
    existing budgets. Estimate the annual funding needed to achieve the
    identified milestones. Estimate that NOAA will implement about 50%
    of the global system.

-   Work with national and international partners to achieve 100%
    completion.

Although NOAA's marine and coastal services and the mission services of
the other agencies and nations will benefit from this plan, and are
considered throughout, accomplishing NOAA's climate mission is the
fundamental driver. The scientific foundations come from the Climate
Variability and Predictability program and the Global Carbon Cycle
program. The programmatic drivers come from the Climate Observations and
Analysis Program, the Climate Predictions and Projections Program, the
Climate Forcing Program, and the Climate & Ecosystems Program. It is not
the intent of the plan to provide all of the observations needed by
these programs but to provide a baseline observing system, to be
sustained over the long term, that can be built upon where needed to
answer specific questions. This baseline system looks for efficiencies
to be gained by utilizing common platforms/sites/data infrastructure for
several objectives in parallel, and seeks to foster a system approach to
effective international organization of complementary in situ,
satellite, data, and modeling components of climate observation.

Priorities for implementation are now in place based on the concept of
extending the building blocks that have already been put in place, and
on the international GCOS Implementation Plan (GCOS-92) which has been
specified as the ocean baseline for GEOSS. NOAA will work to implement
the specific actions called for in GCOS-92, particularly those actions
assigned to the Joint WMO/IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and
Marine Meteorology (JCOMM). JCOMM is NOAA's principal intergovernmental
linkage to international implementation.

**3.1.1 NOAA context*: ***This plan supports NOAA's strategic goal to
monitor and observe: "NOAA will invest in needed climate quality
observations and encourage other national and international investments
to provide a comprehensive observing system in support of climate
assessments and forecasts." The plan details how NOAA will achieve one
element of that strategic goal -- implementation of the sustained *in
situ* ocean component of the global climate observing system -- and this
plan details how NOAA will implement the Global Component of the NOAA
IOOS Major Project.

**3.1.2 Interagency context:** The observational objectives of NOAA's
climate program and those of the CCSP are essentially identical and the
ocean observing system architecture detailed below will be implemented
by NOAA within the framework of, and as an element of, the CCSP. At the
same time the observing system must be advanced in support of climate
services, it must also be advanced in response to a national demand for
the ocean agencies to coordinate implementation of an U.S. contribution
to the Global Ocean Observing System. It is recognized that an effective
global ocean observing system can be achieved only through continuing
interaction among all national (and international) partners. In this
context, NOAA will provide a significant contribution to the Global
Component of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).
Implementation will be coordinated with the National Oceanographic
Partnership Program agencies.

**3.1.3 International context:** The observational component of climate
services has by far the greatest opportunity and necessity for
international collaboration. A global observing system by definition
crosses international boundaries and the potential exists for both
benefits and responsibilities to be shared by many nations. The system
described below is based on the international design of, and is an U.S.
contribution to GCOS-92. The observing system projects that make up the
climate component have been developed, and will continued to be evolved,
organized and managed, in cooperation with the international
implementation panels of the Joint IOC/WMO Technical Commission for
Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM), and with scientific
guidance from the GCOS/GOOS/WCRP Ocean Observations Panel for Climate
(OOPC).

**3.2 Cost and schedule for each investment**

**3.2.1 Cost Methodology**

Cost estimates are derived by observing platform (buoy, float, shipboard
system, tide gauge station, etc.) times the number of platforms
maintained per year based on the cost of procuring hardware and
software, calibrating sensors, deploying/installing sensors, providing
satellite transmission of real time data, quality control and archival
of processed data. Due to the harsh environment, most ocean platforms
are considered expendables, not capital equipment. Continual purchase of
replacement sensors, rebuilding, and reseeding of the arrays are
required such that annual maintenance costs in the out years are
estimated to be the same as the initial cost of establishing a new
platform/system in the first year. For analysis work, the annual cost is
mostly intellectual resources (people).

The implementation of the global ocean observing system is based on
partnerships. On average, NOAA provides about half of the global
requirement, with partner agencies in the U.S., primarily NSF, and
partner countries (presently 64 other countries) providing the other
half. For some systems, e.g., drifting buoys, NOAA provides more than
half, and for some systems, e.g., tide gauge stations, NOAA provides
less than half. But system-wide, we estimate half. This is based on
historical partnerships over the past 10 years. A report of
contributions by countries is maintained at
[www.jcommops.org/network_status](http://www.jcommops.org/network_status).

Accounting within the ocean program is by "project." Each project files
an annual report documenting progress of the previous fiscal year and
outlining the work plan for the coming fiscal year. A budget sheet(s) is
part of each project report and details the costs required to sustain
the project -- personnel, supplies, travel, contracts, etc. Cost
estimates are based on these documented expenditures. The project
reports are compiled each year into an *Annual Report on the State of
the Ocean and the Ocean Observing System for Climate*. Hard copies of
the *Annual Report* are available from <climate.observation@noaa.gov>.
An electronic file is available at
[www.oco.noaa.gov](http://www.oco.noaa.gov/).

**3.2.2 Schedule:** The summary below is based on the Program Baseline
Assessment of the 100% requirement. Detailed cost estimates are updated
annually in June as part of the Program Baseline Assessment (PBA) and
are documented in the PBA Table2.

The ocean observing system needs to be completed as soon as possible in
order to provide the fundamental measurements needed to deliver credible
climate forecasts and assessments. The executable gap is limited,
however, by NOAA's ability to implement new system expansions with
available management and infrastructure capabilities. The maximum budget
increase per year that can be accommodated is estimated to be \$16.8
million. A steady ramp of \$16.8 million increase per year therefore
describes the optimum multi-year plan to reach 100% capability. The 100%
capability budget is estimated using this optimum multi-year ramp. This
summary is based on actually budgets through FY06, the President's
budget for FY07, and the executable ramp of \$16.8 million per year
through FY12. Summary:

> [FY04]{.underline} [FY05]{.underline} [FY06]{.underline}
> [FY07]{.underline} [FY08]{.underline} [FY09]{.underline}
> [FY10]{.underline} [FY11]{.underline} [FY12]{.underline}

System annual

operating cost (\$ M) 40.7 51.2 53.2 58.6 75.4 92.2 109.0 125.8 141.1

### 

### [4.0 Program Goal and Objectives]{.underline}

**4.1 Goal**: The goal of this plan is to build and sustain the ocean
component of a global climate observing system that will respond to the
long-term observational requirements of the operational forecast
centers, international research programs, and major scientific
assessments.

### 

### 4.2 Objectives: The ocean is the memory of the climate system and is second only to the sun in effecting variability in the seasons and long-term climate change. It is estimated that the ocean stores 1000 times more heat than the atmosphere, and 50 times more carbon. Eighty-seven percent of the rain and snow that water our Earth comes directly from the ocean. Changing sea level is one of the most immediate impacts of climate change. Additionally, the key to possible abrupt climate change may lie in deep ocean circulation.

Accordingly, the objectives of the sustained ocean observing system for
climate are to:

> 1\) Document long-term trends in sea level change;
>
> 2\) Document ocean carbon sources and sinks;
>
> 3\) Document the ocean's storage and global transport of heat and
> fresh water; and
>
> 4\) Document the ocean-atmosphere exchange of heat and fresh water.

This implementation plan will provide a composite global ocean observing
system of complementary networks that includes: 1) deployment and
maintenance of observational platforms and sensors; 2) data delivery and
management; and 3) routine delivery of ocean analyses. This end-to-end
ocean system will provide the critical "up-front" information needed for
climate forecasting, research, and assessments -- continuous, long term,
climate quality, global data sets and a suite of routinely delivered
ocean analyses. At the same time, the system will provide real-time data
to serve the needs of NOAA's marine and coastal forecast and warning
missions and the needs of the other agencies in accomplishing their
missions.

**[5.0 Performance Measures]{.underline}**

In order to achieve the four objectives, the system must accurately
measure: 1) sea level to identify changes resulting from climate
variability; 2) ocean carbon content every ten years and the air-sea
exchange seasonally; 3) sea surface temperature and surface circulation
to identify significant patterns of climate variability; 4) sea surface
pressure and air-sea exchanges of heat, momentum, and fresh water to
identify changes in forcing functions driving ocean conditions and
atmospheric conditions; 5) ocean heat and fresh water content and
transports to identify where anomalies enter the ocean, how they move
and are transformed, and where they re-emerge to interacting with the
atmosphere; and identify the essential aspects of thermohaline
circulation as well as the subsurface expressions of the patterns of
climate variability; and 6) sea ice thickness and concentrations. These
parameters represent the specific "outcomes" of the global ocean
observing system for climate.

The sampling requirements for these parameters have been documented by
international GOOS and GCOS. Table 1 lists the requirements as presented
at the international OCEANOBS 99 Conference in Saint-Raphael, France. It
represents the best estimates of the international community at this
time.

The Proceedings of OCEANOBS 99 and the final report from the conference,
*Observing the Ocean in the 21^st^ Century*, outline implementation
strategies for achieving these sampling requirements. Additionally, for
documenting sea level variability and change, the implementation
strategy is further defined in the *International Sea Level Workshop
Report*, 1998; and for documenting ocean carbon sources and sinks the
implementation strategy is defined in the *Large Scale CO~2~ Observing
Plan: In Situ Oceans and Atmosphere (LSCOP)*, 2002. The latter plan is
for the United States only, but was developed by U.S. scientists working
in collaboration with international partners. The international
community met in Paris, January 2003, to advance international
implementation of the ocean carbon monitoring system and the results
have now been published in the *International Ocean Carbon Coordination
Project*. The elements of the plans needed to achieve global coverage
with an initial ocean observing system have now been detailed in
GCOS-92. These foundation documents are available from the NOAA Office
of Climate Observation and are listed in Appendix A.

Based on the requirements in Table 1 and the implementation strategies
defined in the foundation documents listed in Appendix A, the system's
effectiveness in meeting the objectives will be gauged by the
performance measure listed below. The goal is to reduce measurement
errors to limits acceptable for documenting climate scale changes in the
ocean. The reduction of measurement error depends directly on achieving
complete global coverage by the *in situ* networks, in conjunction with
continuous satellite missions. The present number of data buoys, floats,
ships, and tide gauge stations is not adequate. Global coverage can be
achieved only by deploying additional platforms to fill the gaps.

The "outcome" performance measures detailed below will quantitatively
demonstrate why 100% global coverage is necessary to adequately document
climate variability and change in the ocean. At present, the performance
measure for sea surface temperature is the only quantitative outcome
measure available. The required accuracy is 0.2 degrees Celsius. The
present ocean observing system can deliver only 0.6 degrees accuracy.
During 2006 similar performance measures will be developed for tracking
the errors in measurement of global sea level change, ocean carbon
sources and sinks, and the ocean's heat storage. Together with the
present sea surface temperature performance measure, these three new
performance measures will provide a quantitative way to evaluate the
effectiveness of the ocean observing system for delivering climate
outcomes. In the mean time, percent of global coverage is the best way
to estimate the requirement for deploying the ocean observing system.

Performance Measures:

**5.1 Sea Surface Temperature**

\- PM short tile: Reduce the error in global measurement of sea surface
temperature.

\- Indicator: Potential satellite bias error.

\- Unit of Measure: Degrees Celsius

\- Baseline FY 2003: 0.7 degrees

\- FY 2008 target: 0.2 degrees

\- FY 2012 target: 0.2 degrees

\- Reporting Frequency: quarterly

\- Source of data: Office of Climate Observation

\- Who is the person reporting the PM: Mike Johnson

\- Approving Individual: Tom Karl

\- State of Development: PM well developed"

Explanation: Sea surface temperature is the single most important ocean
variable for determining the carbon, heat, and water cycles. Achieving
an acceptable error target of 0.2 degrees as soon as possible is the
number one priority of the ocean program. This target can be reached in
FY 2008 with the existing budget.

**5.2 Sea Level**

\- PM short tile: Reduce the error in global measurement of sea level
change.

\- Indicator: Difference between tide gauge measurements and satellite
altimeter measurements of sea level trend.

\- Unit of Measure: cm/decade

\- Baseline FY 2005: 0.72

\- FY 2008 target: 0.62

\- FY 2010 target: 0.50

\- Reporting Frequency: Quarterly

\- Source of data: Office of Climate Observation

\- Who is the person reporting the PM: Mike Johnson

\- Approving Individual: Tom Karl

\- State of Development: Experimental. Being further developed in FY
2006.

Explanation: This new outcome-based performance measure will provide a
quantifiable metric for evaluating the observing system's ability to
deliver fundamental climate information.

**5.3 Ocean Carbon**

\- PM short tile: Reduce the error in global measurement of ocean carbon
sources and sinks.

\- Indicator: TBD

\- Unit of Measure: TBD

\- Baseline FY 2003: TBD

\- FY 2008 target: TBD

\- FY 2012 target: TBD

\- Reporting Frequency: Quarterly

\- Source of data: Office of Climate Observation

\- Who is the person reporting the PM: Mike Johnson

\- Approving Individual: Tom Karl

\- State of Development: Being developed in FY 2006.

Explanation: This new outcome-based performance measure will provide a
quantifiable metric for evaluating the observing system's ability to
deliver fundamental climate information.

**5.4 Ocean Heat**

\- PM short tile: Reduce the error in global measurement of ocean heat
storage.

\- Indicator: Sampling error.

\- Unit of Measure: Joules/m^2^x10^7^

\- Baseline FY 2005: 2.2

\- FY 2008 target: 1.0

\- FY 2012 target: 0.8

\- Reporting Frequency: Quarterly

\- Source of data: Office of Climate Observation

\- Who is the person reporting the PM: Mike Johnson

\- Approving Individual: Tom Karl

\- State of Development: Experimental. Being further developed in FY
2006.

Explanation: This new outcome-based performance measure will provide a
quantifiable metric for evaluating the observing system's ability to
deliver fundamental climate information.

**5.5 Deploy the global ocean observing system**

\- PM short tile: Deployed global observing systems.

\- Indicator: Number of platforms in sustained service.

\- Unit of Measure: Percent of target number needed to achieve global
coverage.

\- Baseline FY 2003: 45%

\- FY 2008 target: 68%

\- FY 2012 target: 100%

\- Reporting Frequency: Quarterly

\- Source of data: Office of Climate Observation

\- Who is the person reporting the PM: Mike Johnson

\- Approving Individual: Tom Karl

\- State of Development: PM well developed.

Explanation: The international target year for completion of the global
system was 2010. NOAA cannot achieve its contribution to this target
because the executable gap is only \$16.8 million per year (execution is
limited by ability to augment implementation work with existing
infrastructure). Consequently the target for completion has been shifted
back two years to 2012.

**5.6 Number of ocean state variables reported**

\- PM short tile: Number of ocean climate state variables reported.

\- Indicator: Essential climate variables listed in the international
GCOS Adequacy Report.

\- Unit of Measure: Variables analyzed in the annual State of the
Climate reported in BAMS.

\- Baseline FY 2003: 1

\- FY 2008 target: 10

\- FY 2012 target: 12

\- Reporting Frequency: Annual

\- Source of data: Office of Climate Observation

\- Who is the person reporting the PM: Mike Johnson

\- Approving Individual: Tom Karl

\- State of Development: PM well developed"

Explanation: All climate variables need to be analyzed routinely, with
error bars, even before the observing system is completed sufficiently
to reduce the measurement errors to acceptable limits. Consequently the
target for this PM is to achieve regular reporting as soon as possible
\-- by 2009.

**5.7 Summary: 100% Budget Profile Performance Measures:**

+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| **Performance      | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  |
| Measure**          | FY0 | FY0 | FY0 | FY0 | FY0 | FY1 | FY1 | FY1 |
|                    | 5** | 6** | 7** | 8** | 9** | 0** | 1** | 2** |
| **& Unit of        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| Measure**          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| **Reduce the error | **0 | **0 | **0 | **0 | **0 | **0 | **0 | **0 |
| in global          | .53 | .50 | .40 | .30 | .20 | .20 | .20 | .20 |
| measurement of sea | 2** | 0** | 0** | 0** | 0** | 0** | 0** | 0** |
| surface            |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| temperature        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| (degrees           |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| Celsius)**         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| **Reduce the error | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  | **  |
| in global          | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| measurement of sea | 2** | 0** | 5** | 0** | 5** | 0** | 0** | 0** |
| level change**     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
|                    |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| **(cm/decade)**    |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| **Reduce the error | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   |
| in global          | *TB | *TB | *TB | *TB | *TB | *TB | *TB | *TB |
| measurement of     | D** | D** | D** | D** | D** | D** | D** | D** |
| ocean carbon       |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| sources and        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| sinks**            |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| **Reduce the error | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   | *   |
| in global          | *2. | *2. | *1. | *1. | *0. | *0. | *0. | *0. |
| measurement of     | 2** | 0** | 5** | 0** | 8** | 8** | 8** | 8** |
| ocean heat         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| storage**          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
|                    |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| **(Jo              |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| ules/m^2^x10^7^)** |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| **Deployed global  | **5 | **5 | **6 | **7 | **8 | **8 | **9 | *   |
| observing systems  | 3** | 5** | 3** | 2** | 1** | 9** | 7** | *10 |
| (percent           |     |     |     |     |     |     |     | 0** |
| complete)**        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| **Number of ocean  | **  | **  | **  | **1 | **1 | **1 | **1 | **1 |
| climate state      | 6** | 6** | 6** | 0** | 2** | 2** | 2** | 2** |
| variables          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
| reported**         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+

**5.8 Performance Measure linkages to the Outcomes:**

Outcomes

  --------------------- --------- ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------- -------
  **Performance         **Sea     **Ocean    **SST,       **Air-sea    **Ocean heat  **Sea
  Measures**            level**   carbon**   surface      exchange**   & transport** ice**
                                             currents**                              

  **Reduce the error in           **X**      **X**        **X**        **X**         **X**
  global measurement of                                                              
  sea surface                                                                        
  temperature**                                                                      

  **Reduce the error in **X**                                          **X**         
  global measurement of                                                              
  sea level change**                                                                 

  **Reduce the error in           **X**                                              
  global measurement of                                                              
  ocean carbon sources                                                               
  and sinks**                                                                        

  **Reduce the error in **X**                                          **X**         **X**
  global measurement of                                                              
  ocean heat storage**                                                               

  **Deployed global     **X**     **X**      **X**        **X**        **X**         **X**
  observing systems                                                                  
  (percent complete)**                                                               

  **Number of ocean     **X**     **X**      **X**        **X**        **X**         **X**
  climate state                                                                      
  variables reported**                                                               
  --------------------- --------- ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------- -------

**5.9 System linkages to the Performance Measures:** The following
sections indicate network improvements that work toward building the
observing system as a whole. The ocean observing system is a composite
of complementary networks, each one contributing its unique strengths;
most serve multiple purposes. One of the primary goals of NOAA's Office
of Climate Observation is to look for efficiencies to be gained by
utilizing common platforms/sites/data infrastructure for several
objectives in parallel. For these reasons it is difficult to assign the
network components specifically to product lines on a one-to-one basis.
In general, however, the network tasks described below will contribute
to the deliverables as follows:

> **Performance Measures**

+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **OUTPUT         | **    | **    | **Oc  | **Oc  | **Sys | **Vari  |
| Capacity**       | SST** | Sea** | ean** | ean** | tem** | ables** |
|                  |       |       |       |       |       |         |
|                  |       | **Le  | **Car | **H   | *     | **Rep   |
|                  |       | vel** | bon** | eat** | *Perc | orted** |
|                  |       |       |       |       | ent** |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Tide Gauge     |       | **X** |       |       | **X** |         |
| Stations**       |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Drifting Buoy  | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** |         |
| Array**          |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Tropical       | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** |         |
| Moored Buoy      |       |       |       |       |       |         |
| Network**        |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Ships of       | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** |         |
| Opportunity**    |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Argo Profiling |       | **X** |       | **X** | **X** |         |
| Float Array**    |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Ocean          | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** |         |
| Reference        |       |       |       |       |       |         |
| Stations**       |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Ocean Carbon   |       |       | **X** | **X** | **X** |         |
| Networks**       |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Arctic         | **X** | **X** |       | **X** | **X** |         |
| Observing        |       |       |       |       |       |         |
| System**         |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Data and       | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** |         |
| Assimilation**   |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+
| **Analysis and   | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X** | **X**   |
| Product          |       |       |       |       |       |         |
| Delivery**       |       |       |       |       |       |         |
+------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+---------+

##### [6.0 Milestones]{.underline}

In order to achieve the Performance Measures, the integrated ocean
observing system will be completed according to the following schedule.
The schedule is based on the initial design and projections of adequate
funding. The milestones will be updated annually to reflect evolution of
the design as knowledge and technology advance, and to reflect the
realities of funding availability.

> FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

System % Complete: 48 55 57 59 72 81 89 97 100

Although individual network priorities are described below, they must
all go forward together as a system. For example, the global Argo array
of profiling floats is a primary tool for documenting ocean heat
content; yet deployment of the floats in the far corners of the ocean
cannot be achieved without the ships-of-opportunity and dedicated ship
time elements; and the Argo array cannot do its work without global
over-flight by continued precision altimeter space missions; the Argo
measurements must be continually calibrated by deep ocean measurements
from the dedicated ships conducting the global ocean carbon inventory
surveys; while the measurements taken by all networks will be rendered
effective only through the data and assimilation subsystems.

Priorities and milestones for the individual networks follow. For each
network the several priority tasks are listed in tabular form. The
bottom lines of the tables give the representative milestones that are
shown graphically in Figure 2; representative milestones are used to
simplify the graphic depiction of the phased implementation plan
illustrated by Figure 2. Relative emphases in completing the several
components of the observing system will depend on the relative
priorities assigned to the network tasks in the context of the overall
requirements of climate services.

**6.1 Tide Gauge Network**: Tide gauges are necessary for accurately
measuring long-term trends in sea level change and for calibration and
validation of the measurements from satellite altimeters, which are
assimilated into global climate models for predicting climate
variability. Many tide stations need to be upgraded with modern
technology. Permanent GPS receivers will be installed at a selected
subset of stations, leading to a geocentrically located subset expansion
from the present 43 GPS sites to 170 sites globally by 2010. These 170
climate reference stations will also be upgraded for real-time
reporting, not only for climate monitoring, but also to support marine
hazard warning (e.g., tsunami warning). In cooperation with
international partners NOAA will maintain a global climate network of
290 tide gauges stations as the Global Sea Level Observing System
(GLOSS) core network, including the subset noted above, for validation
of satellite retrievals, validation of climate model results,
documentation of seasonal to centennial variability in the El Nino
Southern Oscillation, Indian Ocean and Asian-Australian monsoons,
tropical Atlantic variability, North Atlantic Oscillation, North Pacific
variability, high latitude circulation, western boundary currents, and
circulation through narrow straits and chokepoints, and in support of
navigation and other marine services. This task will contribute to
climate services by providing the long term records needed to 1)
document sea level change: 2) document heat uptake, transport, and
release by the ocean (sea surface height contributes to the measurement
of ocean heat content); and 3) document the ocean's overturning
circulation (gradients of sea surface height across straights and
choke-points are used to calculate large-scale ocean currents).

> International
>
> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Operational GLOSS stations 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 290

GPS installation 14 14 16 26 46 66 76 86 170

Real-time reporting (GCOS) 32 42 55 66 80 85 86 86 170

GPS data processing X X X X X X X

Technology development X X X X X

International real-time reporting 79 91 106 126 148 155 160 170 170

**6.2 Drifting Buoy Array:** Data sparse regions of the global ocean are
a major source of uncertainty in the seasonal forecasts and are also a
major uncertainty in the detection of long-term trends in global sea
surface temperature, which in turn is an indicator of global change.
Data gaps must be filled by surface drifting buoys to reduce these
sources of error to acceptable limits. Standard global SST analyses are
derived from satellite retrievals, but the satellite measurements must
be continuously tuned using surface *in situ* measurements. The
scientific design for the global drifting buoy array calls for 1250
buoys to be maintained world wide, spaced approximately 500 km apart in
order to adequately tune the satellites measurements. The drifter array
also provides the primary source of global ocean surface circulation
measurements which are necessary to validate climate and ocean forecast
models, and specially equipped "hurricane drifters" are now routinely
air-dropped in the path of hurricanes approaching the U.S. coast in
order to improved hurricane intensity and landfall predictions. NOAA,
together with international partners, will extend the global
SST/velocity drifting buoy array to data sparse regions while adding
wind, pressure, salinity, and temperature profile measurement
capabilities to serve short term forecasting as well as climate
research, seasonal forecasting, and assessment of long term trends. This
task will support climate services by providing measurements needed
to 1) document heat uptake, transport, and release by the ocean; 2)
document ocean carbon sources and sinks (sea surface temperature affects
the rate of transfer of CO~2~ between the ocean and atmosphere; 3)
document the air-sea exchange of water and the ocean's overturning
circulation, and 4) document sea level change by providing the sea
surface atmospheric pressure measurements that are essential for
calculating sea surface height from satellite altimeter measurements.

> International

NOAA Contributions Goal

#  FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Operational buoys 1040 1040 1040 1040 1040 1040 1040 1040 1250

Hurricane Drifters 8 22 30 30 40 40 40 40 40

Add barometers 210 185 240 240 350 350 350 350 700

Add salinity sensors 15 15 60 110 200 300 300 300 300

Technology development X X X X X X X

International array size 1250 1250 1250 1250 1250 1250 1250 1250 1250

**6.3 Tropical Moored Buoy Network:** Most of the heat from the sun
enters the ocean in the tropical/sub-tropical belt. The advanced
understanding of the role of the tropics in forcing mid-latitude weather
and climate was learned primarily through the observations of the
tropical moored buoy array (TAO/TRITON) in the Pacific. A similar pilot
array in the Atlantic basin (PIRATA) now offers the potential of even
better understanding, improved forecasts, and improved ability to
discern the causes of longer-term changes in the Oceans. In addition to
monitoring the air-sea exchange of heat, the moored buoys provide
platforms for supporting instrumentation to measure carbon dioxide and
rainfall in the tropics. The global tropical moored buoy network will be
expanded from 82 to 119 stations by 2010 and will ultimately span all
three oceans - Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean. This task will
support climate services by providing both ocean and atmospheric
observations to 1) document heat uptake, transport, and release by the
ocean; 2) document carbon sources and sinks; and 3) document the air-sea
exchange of fresh water.

International

> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Operational buoys 55 55 55 65 75 90 90 90 119

Research buoys 17 22 28 14 15 0 0 0 0

Indian Ocean expansion 4 6 10 15 15 15 15 33 33

Atlantic Ocean expansion 3 6 8 9 9 9 9 9 9

Add salinity sensors 10 60 65 65 75 90 90 90 119

Add flux capability to buoys 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 8

Technology development X X X X X X X X

International network size 86 91 97 104 115 119 119 119 119

**6.4 Ships of Opportunity:** The global atmospheric and oceanic data
from Ships of Opportunity (SOOP) have been the foundation for
understanding long-term changes in marine climate and are essential
input to climate and weather forecast models. Improved instrument
accuracy, automated reporting, and improved information about how the
observations were taken will greatly enhance the quality of these data,
reducing both systematic and random errors. NOAA will improve
meteorological measurement capabilities on the global SOOP fleet for
improved marine weather and climate forecasting in general, and will
concentrate on a specific subset of high accuracy SOOP lines to be
frequently repeated and sampled at high resolution for systematic upper
ocean and atmospheric measurement. This climate-specific subset will
build to a designed global network of 51 lines by 2010 and will provide
measurements of the upper ocean thermal structure, sea surface
temperature and chemistry, and surface meteorology of high accuracy.
Additionally, the SOOP fleet is the primary vehicle for deployment of
the drifting arrays. This task will support climate services by
providing ocean and atmosphere measurements needed to 1) document heat
uptake, transport, and release by the ocean; and 2) document ocean
carbon sources and sinks (carbon sampling instrumentation is detailed
under a separate task below); and 3) document the air-sea exchange of
water and the ocean's overturning circulation.

International

NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

High resolution lines 12 12 15 18 21 21 21 21 26

Frequently repeated lines 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 25

Add flux/salinity HRX 2 2 7 10 15 15 15 15 26

Auto-met package, VOSClim 0 0 20 50 100 200 200 200 200

Technology development X X X X X X

International lines 39 39 42 45 47 51 51 51 51

**6.5 Argo array of profiling floats**: The heat content of the upper
2000 meters of the world's oceans, and the transfer of that heat to and
from the atmosphere, are variables central to the climate system. Global
sea level change is directly related to the ocean's heat content -- as
the ocean's temperature rises the water expands and thus sea level
rises. The Argo array of profiling floats is designed to provide
essential broad-scale, basin-wide monitoring of the upper ocean heat
content. Three thousand floats will be deployed worldwide by 2007. The
U.S. contribution is approximately one-half of this international
project. Glider technology will replace standard drifting Argo floats in
the boundary currents and targeted deep circulation regions. This task
will support climate services by providing measurements needed to 1)
document heat uptake, transport, and release by the ocean; 2) document
global sea level change, and 3) document the air-sea exchange of heat
and water and the ocean's overturning circulation.

International

NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Operational Argo floats 1140 1500 1500 1500 1500 1400 1400 1400 2800

Operational gliders 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 100 200

Research gliders 3 5 10 20 50 0 0 0 0

Technology development X X X X X X

International array size 2240 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000

**6.6 Ocean Reference Stations:**

**6.6.1 Subtask 1:** NOAA, together with international partners, will
implement a global network of ocean reference station moorings,
expanding from the present six pilot stations to a permanent network of
21 (plus 8 within the tropical moored buoy network) by 2012. NSF's Ocean
Observatories Initiative will provide a major piece of the
infrastructure needed for this network, establishing high-capability
re-locatable moored buoys in remote ocean locations. NOAA will maintain
climate instrumentation aboard the NSF-supplied platforms.

**6.6.2 Subtask 2:** Monitoring the transport within the ocean is a
central element of documenting the overturning circulation of fresh
water and heat and carbon uptake and release; heat and carbon generally
are released to the atmosphere in regions of the ocean far distant from
where they enter. Long-term monitoring of key choke points, such as the
Indonesian through-flow, and of boundary currents along the continents,
such as the Gulf Stream, must be established to measure the primary
routes of ocean heat, carbon, and fresh water transport. Additionally,
major boundary currents such as the California Current have a major
impact on marine ecosystems; changing climate regimes in the ocean
basins are reflected in changing boundary currents which in turn
transfer the ocean climate's influence to fisheries and ecosystems.

**6.6.3 Subtask 3:** Monitoring thermohaline circulation is a central
element of documenting the ocean's overturning circulation and a
critical need for helping scientists understand the role of the ocean in
abrupt climate change. It is essential that the ocean observing system
maintain watch at a few control points at critical locations. Key
monitoring sites have been identified by an international team of
scientists for deployment of long-term subsurface moored arrays and
repeated temperature, salinity, and chemical tracer surveys from
research vessels. NOAA will focus with Canadian partners on monitoring
the Labrador Sea and upstream locations in Davis Strait and the Canadian
Arctic Archipelago, while European partners will focus on the eastern
north Atlantic. Additionally, to estimate the effect of Antarctic zone
water on the global thermohaline circulation, NOAA will maintain time
series moorings and repeat sections in the northwestern Weddell Sea, and
will establish time series measurements in the Ross Sea. These locations
are important to examine the variability of water mass transformation
processes as they relate to climate variability in the Southern Ocean.

**6.6.4 Summary**: These three subtasks will support climate services by
providing ocean and atmosphere measurements needed to 1) document heat
uptake, transport, and release by the ocean; 2) document ocean carbon
sources and sinks (carbon sampling instrumentation is detailed under a
separate task below; and 3) document the air-sea exchange of water and
the ocean's overturning circulation.

International

> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Operational flux moorings 6 6 6 7 9 9 9 9 21

Operational full depth stations 3 3 3 3 5 10 10 10 45

Operational transport stations 2 3 6 6 6 7 7 7 10

Pacific Raingauge (PACRAIN) 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28

S. Hemisphere sections 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 3

Technology development X X X X X X X X

International reference stations 42 43 46 49 54 60 78 87 87

**6.7 Coastal Moorings:** Improved near shore measurements from moored
buoys are critical to coastal forecasting as well as to linking the deep
ocean to regional impacts of climate variability. The boundary currents
along continental coastlines are major movers of the ocean's heat and
fresh water (e.g., the Gulf Stream). Furthermore, the coastal regions
are critical to the study of the role of the ocean in the
intensification of storms, which are key to the global atmospheric
transport of heat, momentum and water, and are a significant impact of
climate on society. Coastal arrays are maintained by many nations making
this a "global" network of "coastal" stations. A climate subset of
NOAA's existing network will be improved by augmenting and upgrading the
instrument suite to provide measurements of the upper ocean as well as
the sea surface and surface meteorology. Ten of these moorings will
serve as platforms-of-opportunity for the addition of carbon sampling
instrumentation. This task will support climate services by providing
ocean and atmosphere measurements needed to 1) document heat uptake,
transport, and release by the ocean; 2) document ocean carbon sources
and sinks (carbon sampling instrumentation is detailed under a separate
task below); and 3) document the air-sea exchange of water.

International

> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Upgrade w/climate sensors 0 1 5 10 25 45 65 65 105

Technology development X X X X X X X X X

International coastal network 0 1 5 20 50 90 100 105 105

**6.8 Ocean Carbon:** Understanding the global carbon cycle and the
accurate measurement of the regional sources and sinks of carbon are of
critical importance to international policy decision making as well as
to forecasting long term trends in climate. Projections of long-term
global climate change are closely linked to assumptions about feedback
effects between the atmosphere, the land, and the ocean. To understand
how carbon is cycled through the global climate system, ocean
measurements are critical. NOAA will add autonomous carbon dioxide
sampling to the moored arrays and the VOS fleet to analyze the seasonal
variability in carbon exchange between the ocean and atmosphere, and in
cooperation with NSF will implement a program of systematic global ocean
surveys that will provide a complete carbon inventory once every ten
years. The ships used to conduct the carbon inventory survey sample the
complete ocean water column from top to bottom for temperature and
salinity -- these measurements are essential to calibrate the
measurements from the Argo array. This task is coordinated with the
Global Carbon Cycle program, is dependent on implementation of the ship
lines and moored and drifting arrays, and will support climate services
by providing measurements to: 1) document ocean carbon sources and
sinks; and 2) document heat uptake, transport, and release by the ocean.

International

> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Inventory lines per decade 6 7 7 8 9 10 11 12 37

Time series moorings 5 5 7 9 10 10 10 10 12

Coastal flux moorings 0 1 1 1 6 11 11 11 29

Flux on ships of opportunity 4 4 6 12 12 12 12 12 21

Technology development X X X X X X

International inventory lines 15 17 20 23 28 31 34 37 37

**6.9 Integrated Arctic Observing System:** Given the sensitivity of the
Arctic environment to climate variability and change, it is in this
region that early indications of the future progression of climate
change are likely to be first detected. A program of sustained
observations of this area is being conducted through dedicated and
shared ship-based cruises, permanent oceanographic moorings and gliders,
supplemented by acquisition and analysis of historical data sets. The
long-term goal is to detect climate-driven physical and ecological
change, especially due to changes in sea ice extent and duration, and in
ocean density and circulation that together may lead to changes in ocean
heat transport, productivity, and food web structure. International
collaboration is essential for completing this program, especially with
Russia and Canada. Ice-tethered buoys and bottom-mounted moorings are
deployed to monitor the drift of Arctic sea ice and to determine its
thickness. The long-term goal is to provide an accurate record of
changes in sea ice thickness that, together with satellite observations
of sea ice extent, can provide an estimate of changes in sea ice volume.
This information is critical for improvement of global climate models
and development of a regional Arctic climate model. This task will
support climate services by providing ocean and ice measurements needed
to document heat uptake, transport, and release by the ocean.

International

> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Arctic pathway moorings 0 0 1 2 3 4 6 8 12

Ice mass balance buoys 3 3 4 5 5 6 8 8 11

ASOF gateway mooring sets 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 8

Automated drifting stations 0 0 0 1 2 3 3 3 3

Ice buoys 14 2 5 8 14 20 20 20 40

Hydrographic stations 1 1 2 4 7 9 10 10 16

Bering Sea moorings 1 1 1 1 4 4 6 6 6

Western boundary sections 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

Western boundary moorings 0 0 0 3 4 4 4 4 4

Ice buoys and stations 24 21 24 24 41 52 54 54 54

**6.10 Dedicated Ship Time:** Climate Ship time within the UNOLS
research fleet for deployment of the moored and drifting arrays, and for
deep ocean surveys is an essential component of this initiative. The
deep ocean cannot be reached by SOOP and Argo; yet quantification of the
carbon and heat content of the entire ocean column is needed to solve
the climate equations. In addition to providing the survey and
deployment platforms for the autonomous arrays, the research fleet will
maintain sensor suites on a small core of vessels as the highest quality
calibration points for validation of the other system measurements.
Annual requirements for ship time are 54 days in addition to the
Ka'imimoana for TAO/TRITON maintenance, 74 days for the carbon
inventory, 34 days for PIRATA in addition to the French/Brazilian
support (see Subtask 2), 47 days for ocean reference stations growing to
120 days, 60 days for deployment of the drifting arrays in remote
regions, and 46 days for thermohaline circulation monitoring growing to
172 days. This task will support climate services by providing multi-use
platforms for the ocean and atmosphere measurements needed to 1)
document heat uptake, transport, and release by the ocean; 2) document
ocean carbon sources and sinks; and 3) document the air-sea exchange of
water and the ocean's overturning circulation.

International

Ship days at sea NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Ka'imimoana 240 240 240 240 240 240 240 240 240

TAO/TRITON additional 45 45 45 45 45 45 45 45 90

PIRATA 0 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 125

Carbon survey 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 240

Coastal flux maps 0 0 60 0 60 0 60 0 240

Reference Stations 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 480

Deployment of drifting arrays 0 0 20 45 80 120 120 120 120

Thermohaline circulation 26 26 33 33 33 33 85 79 340

Western Boundary Current 30 30 44 24 30 44 24 30 30

Weddell Sea moorings 4 4 4 4 20 20 20 20 20

Arctic hydrographic sections [0 0 50 60 60 60 60 60]{.underline} 120

NOAA total 458 472 496 659 831 882 882 882 2045

NOAA contribution 458 472 496 659 831 882 882 882 1620

**6.11 Satellites:**

The initial ocean observing system for climate depends on space based
global measurements of 1) sea surface temperature, 2) sea surface
height, 3) surface vector winds, 4) ocean color, and 5) sea ice. These
satellite contributions are detailed in other NOAA program plans.

**6.11.1 Sea surface temperature:** Satellite measurements of sea
surface temperature are included in NOAA's operational satellite program
and the NPOESS program. Satellite data provide high-resolution sea
surface temperature data. Both infrared and microwave satellite data are
important. Microwave sea surface temperature data have a significant
coverage advantage over infrared sea surface temperature data, because
microwave data can be retrieved in cloud-covered regions while infrared
cannot. However, microwave sea surface temperatures are at a much lower
spatial resolution than infrared. In addition microwave sea surface
temperatures cannot be obtained within roughly 50 km of land. A
combination of both infrared and microwave data are needed because they
have different coverage and error properties. Drifting buoy and other
*in situ* data are critically important in providing calibration and
validation in satellite data as well as providing bias correction of
these data. Satellite biases can occur from orbit changes, satellite
instrument changes and changes in physical assumptions on the physics of
the atmosphere (e.g., through the addition of volcanic aerosols). Thus,
drifting buoy and other *in situ* data are needed to correct for any of
these changes. This task will support climate services by providing
measurements needed to 1) document heat uptake, transport, and release
by the ocean; and 2) document ocean carbon sources and sinks (sea
surface temperature affects the rate of transfer of CO~2~ between the
ocean and atmosphere.

**6.11.2 Sea surface height:** The value of spaced-based altimeter
measurements of sea surface height has now been clearly demonstrated by
the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason missions. Changes in sea level during major
El Nino events can now be discerned at high resolution and provide
realistic model initializations for seasonal climate forecasting. The
same data, when calibrated with island tide gauge observations, are also
able to monitor the rate of global sea level change with an accuracy of
1 mm per year. The planned NPOESS altimeter will be adequate for shorter
term forecasting, but the NPOESS altimeter will not fly in the same
orbit as TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason; and for monitoring long-term sea
level change, continuation of precision altimeter missions in the
TOPEX/Poseidon/Jason orbit is necessary. Jason follow-on altimeter
missions (Ocean Surface Topography Mission, OSTM) are necessary to
continue the long-term sea level record. NASA and CNES have asked NOAA
and EUMETSAT to transition the Jason-class altimeter from research to
operations beginning with the OSTM. In FY2006, NOAA will assume primary
U.S. responsibility for continuing this international effort. This task
will contribute to climate services by providing the long term records
needed to 1) document sea level change; 2) document heat uptake,
transport, and release by the ocean; and 3) document the ocean's
overturning circulation (sea surface height contributes to the
measurement of ocean heat and fresh water content and their transport).

**6.11.3 Surface vector winds, ocean color, and sea ice:** The best
methods of sustaining satellite measurement of surface vector winds,
ocean color, and sea ice are still a research and development question;
over the next five years NOAA, NASA, and NPOESS will weigh the
alternatives and determine the long term strategy for maintenance of
these elements.

**6.12 Data and Assimilation Subsystems**:

**6.12.1 Subtask 1 -- Long Term Stewardship:** The value of the
observations does not end with their initial use in detecting and
forecasting climate variability. The data must be retained and made
available for retrospective analyses to understand long-term climate
change, and for designing observing system operations and improvements.
NOAA's long history and unique expertise in environmental data
management will be applied to the ocean observing system. NOAA also will
include the vast holdings of historical ocean observations within the
context of the integrated environmental data access and archive system.
Support will also be provided for a World Ocean Database to incorporate
modern data into an integrated profile system.

**6.12.2 Subtask 2 -- Data Management and Communications**: A robust and
scalable data management infrastructure is essential to the vision of a
sustained ocean observing system. NOAA's ocean climate data element will
contribute to the Data Management and Communications System (DMAC) of
the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) that is being
implemented by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program agencies.
The DMAC plan integrates data transport, quality control, data assembly,
limited product generation, metadata management, data archeology, data
archival, data discovery, and administration functions. Uniform access
to data will be addressed through the concept of "middleware"
connectivity -- a common set of standards and protocols that connects
all data sources to data users. The middleware approach shields end
users from many of the traditional barriers that have been associated
with climate data access, including file formats, the distributed
location of data, and the large size of some data sets. The preliminary
design has been developed by the National Virtual Ocean Data System
(NVODS) project.

The nature of IOOS requires the DMAC to be very highly distributed,
supporting both large and small data providers at Federal, regional,
state, municipal and academic levels. Data assembly centers will be
built into the design to add fault-tolerance and increase ease of use.
The GODAE server presently at Navy's Fleet Numerical Modeling Operations
Center (FNMOC) in Monterey will provide robust, operational access to
aggregated and quality-controlled real-time data streams and will be a
primary assembly center for NOAA's real-time global measurements.
Delayed-mode data sources will be distributed across many institutions
including the Asia-Pacific Research Data Center (APDRC) (part of the
International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) at the University of
Hawaii) and the NOAA Data Centers. The APDRC will provide data assembly
services for delayed-mode observations in a cooperative partnership with
the GODAE Server. Historical data set serving is also an important
function of the distributed system.

The GODAE experimental period ends in 2007. The GODAE server system is
central to the sustained integrated ocean observing system and the
server functions that have been developed during GODAE must be
continued. The NOPP agencies must be prepared to continue these
functions either at Monterey or some other location. The Navy has not
expressed interest in long-term support of the GODAE server and NOAA is
presently planning to assume the leadership role in sustaining this
critical part of the ocean observing system infrastructure.

The Data Management and Communications component of NOAA's ocean climate
observing system must also deliver the information products needed by
NOAA scientists and managers for decision support. The products must
provide the information needed to monitor the month-by-month
effectiveness of the observing system and to diagnose problems. The
products should include intelligible scientific graphics and
human-readable numeric tables that provide an overview of the integrated
system, selectively merging the data from all relevant measurement
streams. These information products will be a component of NOAA's
contribution to IOOS.

**6.12.3 Subtask 3 -- Four dimensional data assimilation including
GODAE:** For climate forecasting, the combined fields from many
different networks are used as initial conditions to begin the forecast.
These combined fields, or analyses, are also used to document what the
ocean and atmosphere are doing at present and what they did in the past,
thus providing a record of the changing climate. By routinely comparing
models and data, shortcomings in the observing system can be identified
and both the models and forecasts can be improved. To utilize
effectively the ocean observations, NOAA will expand ocean analyses to
the global domain and will develop and implement improved assimilation
subsystems that can more effectively use the new data types that are
being collected. The principal vehicle for developing this capability,
involving both national and international communities and producing a
variety of marine products in addition to the use of these observations
in forecast systems, is the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment
(GODAE). The global data and ocean product delivery will be
operationalized as a contribution to, and continue as a follow-on to,
GODAE through the interagency/international server infrastructure being
implemented by GODAE; NOAA will provide the primary U.S. support to
sustain the server infrastructure over the long term. In addition to
improving initializations for seasonal forecasting at NCEP, NOAA will
implement sustained ocean data assimilation activities at GFDL to enable
experimental decadal forecasts, provide ocean initial conditions for
IPCC type scenarios, monitor ocean heat uptake, monitor the thermohaline
circulation for abrupt changes, and develop a capability for monitoring
changes in oceanic carbon sources and sinks.

**6.12.4 Summary:** This task will support climate services by providing
the integrating data, synthesis, and analysis infrastructure for the
ocean and atmosphere measurements, both *in situ* and space based,
needed to: 1) document long-term trends in sea level change; 2) document
heat uptake, transport, and release by the ocean; 3) document ocean
carbon sources and sinks; and 3) document the air-sea exchange of water
and the ocean's overturning circulation.

International

> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

Data set development X X X X X X X X X

World Ocean Database X X X X X X X

Standards and protocols X X X X X X X

Systems interoperability X X X X X X X X X

Automated monitoring tools X X X X X X X X X

IPRC server X X X X X X X X X

GODAE pilot activities (JIMO) X X X X X X X X X

Operationalize GODAE pilot X X X X X

Sustain GODAE server X X X X X X X

Argos data processing X X X X X X X X X

**7.0 Management Plan -- System organization and product delivery**

A global effort of the proposed magnitude must be integrated, organized,
and managed as a system in order to be effective. Matrix management is
NOAA's corporate business practice and standard protocol. This
management plan will follow that protocol by capitalizing on the
capabilities that presently exist across the agency while building
toward the vision of a single composite system.

Implementation of the individual *in situ* networks will continue to be
through distributed centers of expertise at the NOAA Research
laboratories, the National Ocean Service Center for Operational
Oceanographic Products and Services, the National Data Buoy Center, and
the university laboratories that have developed the instruments and
techniques. The space components and data management will be centered in
the NOAA Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service. The
focal point for developing global ocean data assimilation capabilities
will be the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in partnership with
the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and university-based
applied research centers.

To weld the distributed efforts together into the single vision, NOAA
has established the Office of Climate Observation (OCO) under the
auspices of the NOAA Climate Program Office. OCO is charged with
advancing NOAA's multi-year program plan for *Building a Sustained Ocean
Observing System for Climate.* The OCO is a hybrid combining the
functions of a traditional program office with the functions of a center
for system monitoring, evaluation, integration, and action. The
individual network managers will continue to monitor and evaluate the
performance of their individual networks, while the OCO will build the
capability to monitor and evaluate the performance of the system as a
whole, and take action to evolve the *in situ* networks for overall
effectiveness and efficiency in meeting climate observation objectives.

The OCO is the management focus for the distributed ocean network
operations and, utilizing the NOAA Observing System Architecture,
establishes and maintains operational linkages between the networks and
NOAA's other *in situ* and satellite elements and the data and modeling
activities that are essential components of climate observation. The
office provides a central point of contact within NOAA for coordination
with the other agencies and nations involved in observing system
implementation. The office receives and acts on feedback from the
observing system customers - the operational forecast centers,
international research programs, and major scientific assessments.

**7.1 Subtask 1 -- System Monitoring:** The OCO monitors the status of
the globally distributed networks to anticipate gaps and overlaps in
their combined capabilities. Real-time reports from all platforms are
being centralized so that up-to-date status can be displayed at all
times. The office is working to report system statistics and metrics,
routinely and on demand.

**7.2 Subtask 2 -- Evaluation:** An team of expert scientists both
internal and external to NOAA is being established to continually
evaluate the effectiveness of the networks in meeting the performance
measures and the adequacy of the deliverables in meeting the system
objectives. The team of experts will evaluate analysis/synthesis
products, recommend product improvements, recommend where additional
sampling is needed or redundancies are not needed, recommend better
utilization of existing and new *in situ* and satellite data, and assess
the impacts of proposed changes to the system.

**7.3 Subtask 3 -- Take action to evolve the *in site* systems:** System
monitoring and evaluation will be useless unless there is responsive
action taken to build the system, fix problems, and improve sampling
strategies. Decisions must be made to implement the best solutions to
conflicting requirements (multiple partners and customers have differing
missions and will inevitably have differing requirements), to re-deploy
existing resources to best improve the system, to select the highest
priorities for system extensions and funding of new ideas, and to agree
on quid pro quo with interagency and international partners. The OCO is
charged with advancing NOAA's multi-year program plan and with evolving
the system for maximum effectiveness and efficiency along the way.

**7.4 Subtask 4 -- Intra-agency, Interagency, and International
Coordination**: National and international coordination is essential to
success in building the global ocean observing system for climate. The
OCO is charged with building the infrastructure necessary to organize
NOAA's ocean observing efforts along three axes -- 1) climate services,
2) the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, and 3) international
implementation.

1\) For climate services the ocean observations must be available to be
combined with data from the atmospheric networks, land surface networks,
and cryosphere networks. The requirements from the three user
communities -- the forecast centers, research programs, and scientific
assessments -- must be received and synthesized into common requirements
or prioritized if they do not resolve readily.

2\) For the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, NOAA's climate
system will make a significant contribution to the global component
where like data from the various platforms, *in situ* and space-based,
must be combined to form complete fields (e.g., sea surface temperature
from ships, drifting and moored buoys, and satellites). NOAA's efforts
must be combined with the efforts of the other NOPP agencies into a
seamless system.

3\) For international implementation NOAA must work with the
implementation panels of the Joint IOC/WMO Commission for Oceanography
and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) to ensure that consistent standards and
formats are used by all participating nations so that data can be easily
shared and that consistent quality can be expected from all platforms
regardless of their national origin.

In addition to dedicated infrastructure needed for NOAA to operate an
office for climate observation, dedicated infrastructure is also needed
for operation of the interagency and intergovernmental planning and
implementation coordination organizations. These
interagency/international organizations rely on funding from the member
agencies for their support. NOAA has historically provided a significant
portion of the funding needed to maintain the existing international
secretariats, science and implementation panels, and capacity building
efforts of GOOS, GCOS, and the JCOMM. This funding support has been ad
hock and in general from the research programs. As a central component
of sustaining the long-term, operational global climate observing
system, support for the national/international
coordination/implementation infrastructure will be institutionalized via
the OCO.

**7.5 Subtask 5 -- Annual Report on the Ocean's Role in Climate:** The
organizing framework to bring the multiple elements of the composite
ocean observing system together is the routine delivery of an *Annual
Report on the State of the Ocean and the Ocean Observing System for
Climate*. The National Climate Change Science Program strategic plan has
identified the critical need for regular reports documenting the present
state of the climate system components. NOAA's Office of Climate
Observation is leading the national effort to develop this reporting for
the ocean component. The theme of the report is the CCSP overarching
question for guiding climate observations and monitoring- "What is the
current state of the climate, how does it compare with the past, and how
can observations be improved to better initialize and validate models
for prediction or long term projections?"

The annual report synthesizes satellite and *in situ* observations
integrated with models and provides the products to decision makers, the
science community, and the public. This reporting framework also
establishes a formal mechanism for implementing a "user-driven"
observing system and for reporting on the system's performance in
meeting the requirements of the operational forecast centers,
international research programs, and major scientific assessments.
Stakeholders are invited to provide formal recommendations for system
improvement and evolution as part of the annual report process.

The annual report contains four chapters:

Chapter One describes The Role of the Ocean in Climate and includes a
description of ENSO, SST, sea ice, and sea level, and the various
demands on the system incorporating seasonal, interannual, decadal, and
climate change time scales. This chapter sets the context for the report
and outlines common themes, including the significance of the global
ocean observing system and the demands on the system.

The second chapter documents the State of the Ocean. The target audience
is decision makers and non-scientists. This chapter is written by the
experts in the field and is an annually updated climatology of the
ocean, placed in historical context, with discussion of the present
uncertainties and with pointers to products of greater detail and
climate applications.

The third chapter documents the State of the Observing System. The
target audience is NOAA management. This chapter has two sections:

a)  System Progress in meeting milestones is documented by the network
    managers for their projects and by the OCO for the system in total.
    Annual statistics and status are given.

b)  Work plans for the next fiscal year include future efforts.

Chapter Four recaps the State of the Science. The target audience is
scientists. The final chapter of the report contains a bibliography of
refereed publications from scientific journals treating the global
observation of ocean heat, carbon, fresh water, and sea level change.
Each year a selected number of abstracts of particularly relevant
scientific papers are published with the report.

**7.6 Subtask 6 -- External Review:** The execution of this plan will be
subject to normal management review in accordance with NOAA's
Requirements-Based Management Process. Additionally, for specific
programmatic advice and guidance, the Climate Observing System Council
(COSC) has been established to review the program's contribution to the
international Global Climate Observing System and to recommend effective
ways for the program to respond to the long-term observational needs of
the operational forecast centers, international research programs, and
major scientific assessments. The Council is comprised of members both
internal and external to NOAA who individually offer their expert
advice; the Council is not expected to develop consensus opinions. The
term of membership is two years with a renewal option for two additional
terms. The Council meets at least annually to:

-   Advise the OCO on priorities for sustaining and enhancing components
    of the global climate observing system.

-   Review the accomplishments and future plans of specific program
    activities.

-   Recommend realignment of activities, or entirely new activities,
    within the program as appropriate to satisfy the evolving
    requirements for climate observation.

-   Bring to the OCO a broad view on national and international climate
    research and operational activities and their implications.

-   Provide coordinating linkages with national and international
    programs requiring and/or contributing to the implementation of the
    global climate observing system.

-   Advise the OCO on the balance of activities within the program in
    the context of NOAA's overarching climate service requirements, of
    other national and international requirements, and of other national
    and international contributions to the global climate observing
    system.

7.7 System management and product delivery milestones:

International

> NOAA Contributions Goal

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

System Monitoring X X X X X X X X X

System Evaluation:

Sea level change X X X X X X X X

Carbon sources and sinks X X X X X X X X

Air-sea exchange,heat/water X X X X X X X X X

Heat storage/circulation X X X X X X X X

Interagency/International panels X X X X X X X X X

International capacity building X X X X X X

Mgmt, wkshps & science mtgs X X X X X X X X X

Mgmt, administration & finance X X X X X X X X

Annual Report X X X X X X X X

External review X X X X X X X X

**7.8 Education:** The NOAA Office of Climate Observation sponsors two
educational initiatives:

1\) Teacher at Sea Program -- OCO sponsors one or two teachers each year
to participate in ocean observing system research and implementation on
board NOAA and other research vessels.

2\) Adopt a Drifter Program -- OCO established this program in December
2004 to enable K-16 teachers and their students to adopt a drifting buoy
by partnering with an international school. They can follow their buoy's
movement across the ocean by using OCO's Adopt a Drifter website.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="5.998611111111111in"
height="6.866666666666666in"}

Table 1. From *The Action Plan for GOOS/GCOS and Sustained Observation
for CLIVAR*

by Needler et al. \-- *OCEANOBS 99*

######  

![](media/image3.png){width="5.620138888888889in"
height="4.249305555555556in"}

**Figure 1**

![](media/image4.png){width="5.6722222222222225in" height="4.0875in"}

> **Figure 2**

**Appendix A**

**Foundation Documents**

*Observing the Oceans in the 21^st^ Century*, edited by Chester J.
Koblinsky and Neville R. Smith, 2001, GODAE Project Office, Bureau of
Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia, ISBN 0642 70618 2.

*OCEANOBS 99*, proceedings of the International Conference on the Ocean
Observing System for Climate, GCOS/GOOS/WCRP Ocean Observations Panel
for Climate and the CLIVAR Upper Ocean Panel, Saint-Raphael, France,
October 1999.

*International Sea Level Workshop Report*, GCOS/GOOS/WCRP Ocean
Observations Panel for Climate and the CLIVAR Upper Ocean Panel, April
1998, GCOS #43, GOOS #55, ICPO #16.

*A Large Scale CO~2~ Observing Plan: In Situ Oceans and Atmosphere
(LSCOP),* a contribution to the implementation of the U.S. Carbon Cycle
Science Plan by the *In situ* Large-Scale CO~2~ Observations Working
Group, April 2002.

Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in
support of the UNFCCC (GCOS-92), the Global Climate Observing System,
October 2004, GCOS #92, WMO/TD #1219.