**DRAFT (9/30/08)**

**Report to**

**The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations**

**[Implementing the]{.underline}**

**[Sustained Global Ocean Observing System for Climate]{.underline}**

**Report from**

**The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration**

**Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research**

**Climate Program Office**

**Climate Observation Division**

![](media/image1.pct){width="5.875in" height="3.863888888888889in"}

Executive Summary

This report is in response to direction from the House of
Representatives Committee on Appropriations. The Committee was concerned
about NOAA's long-term plans for building and sustaining the global
ocean observing system. NOAA was directed to provide a report to the
committee, no later than 90 days after enactment of the FY 2008
appropriation, describing each component of the ocean observing system,
its current status in regards to operations and maintenance, NOAA's
future plans for either sustaining or upgrading the system, and the
associated costs.

The system detailed herein is the Global Component of the U.S.
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). IOOS consists of both a Global
Component and a Coastal Component. The Global Component is the subject
of this report. The Global Component is a baseline composite system
designed to meet climate requirements; this system is nominally referred
to as the sustained global ocean observing system for climate. NOAA's
climate mission is the primary driver for implementation, but the system
also supports weather prediction, global and coastal ocean prediction,
marine hazard warning systems (e.g., tsunami warning), transportation,
marine environment and ecosystem monitoring, and naval applications.

Implementation of the *in situ* elements of the global ocean observing
system is the responsibility of the Climate Observation Division of
NOAA's Climate Program Office. The goal of the Division is to build and
sustain an observing system that will respond to the long-term
observational requirements of the operational forecast centers,
international research programs, and major scientific assessments. The
primary objectives are to provide the observational basis for
understanding and forecasting changes in sea surface temperature (e.g.,
El Niño), sea level, sea ice, ocean carbon sources and sinks, the
ocean's storage and global transport of heat and fresh water, and the
ocean-atmosphere exchange of heat and fresh water. As technology
develops, other ecosystem and living marine resource variables will be
included.

A global observing system by definition crosses international
boundaries, with potential for both benefits and responsibilities to be
shared by many nations. Working in partnership with other nations and
other agencies is a central precept of NOAA's ocean climate observation
strategy. All of NOAA's contributions to global ocean observation are
coordinated internationally in cooperation with the Joint World
Meteorological Organization/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM).

Implementation of the *in situ* component global ocean observing system
is managed by the Climate Observation Division as 11 subsystems. A
12^th^ subsystem is Earth-observing satellites. The *in situ* elements
are designed to work in concert with satellite capabilities, but
operation of the satellites does not fall under the mandate of the
Climate Observation Division. Each subsystem brings its unique strengths
and limitations; together they build the whole; they are interdependent
and must go forward together as a system. The subsystems are:

-   Tide Gauge Stations

-   Surface Drifting Buoys

-   Tropical Moored Buoy Network

-   Ships of Opportunity

-   Argo Profiling Floats

-   Ocean Reference Stations

-   Ocean Carbon Networks

-   Arctic Ocean Observing Network

-   Dedicated Ships

-   *Satellites*

-   Data and Assimilation subsystems

-   Management and Product Delivery

There are presently 7,723 *in situ* platforms maintained globally by the
international community. NOAA supports 3,860 of this total. The annual
operating cost for NOAA's contribution will be \$56.6 million in FY
2008.

The observing system is being implemented by 22 centers of expertise at
NOAA laboratories, centers, cooperative institutes, universities, and
business partners. In 2007, 55% of the funding allocated to the Climate
Observation Division was directed to cooperative institutes and
university partners, 42% was directed to the NOAA laboratories and
centers, and 3% was directed to business partners. It is anticipated
that a similar distribution of funding will occur in 2008, 2009, and the
out years.

NOAA and the international community, including the Global Ocean
Observing System (GOOS), the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the
Joint World Meteorological Organization/Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology
(JCOMM), the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), the
World Climate Research Program (WCRP), the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Group of Eight leading
industrialized nations (G8) are committed to building and sustaining the
global ocean observing system for climate to achieve measurable
improvements in forecasting and predicting climate variability and
change.

Table of Contents

[Section]{.underline} [Page]{.underline}

Executive Summary 2

1.0 Background 5

2.0 Introduction 9

> 2.1 Ocean Climate Observation 9
>
> 2.2 Goals and Objectives 10
>
> 2.3 Requirement Drivers 10
>
> 2.4 Implementation Plan 11
>
> 2.5 Partnerships are Central 11

3.0 Implementing the Global Ocean Observing System for Climate 12

> 3.1 Status of the System overall 13
>
> 3.2 Status of the subsystems 14
>
> 3.2.1 Tide Gauge Stations 15
>
> 3.2.2 Surface Drifting Buoys 17
>
> 3.2.3 Tropical Moored Buoy Network 19
>
> 3.2.4 Ships of Opportunity 21
>
> 3.2.5 Argo Profiling Floats 24
>
> 3.2.6 Ocean Reference Stations 26
>
> 3.2.7 Ocean Carbon Networks 28
>
> 3.2.8 Arctic Ocean Observing Network 30
>
> 3.2.9 Dedicated Ships 31
>
> 3.2.10 Satellites 32
>
> 3.2.11 Data and Assimilation subsystems 36
>
> 3.2.12 Management and Product Delivery 38

4.0 Cost 44

5.0 Conclusion 45

List of Acronyms 46

1.0 Background

This report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) is in response to direction from the House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations. The Committee's report in explanation of
appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies for
the Fiscal Year 2008, page 27, states:

> The Committee recognizes that NOAA has multiple ocean observing
> systems, including arrays, buoys, floats, and drifting and moored
> stations. While the Committee is providing additional funding to
> continue these important observing systems, it remains concerned about
> the long-term plans for these ocean observing systems. Therefore, NOAA
> is directed to provide a report to the committee, no later than 90
> days after enactment, which describes each ocean observing system, its
> current status in regards to operations and maintenance, and NOAA's
> future plans for either sustaining or upgrading each observing system,
> and the associated costs.

Since this direction from the Committee was included in the report
section on Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) operations, research
and facilities, NOAA interprets the intent of the Committee to be
requesting a description of the global ocean observing system for
climate, which is being implemented by the OAR Climate Program Office.
The global ocean observing system for climate is summarized in the
*Fiscal Year 2009 Congressional Submission* as follows:

> **Observing Systems**
>
> The **[Climate Observation Division]{.underline}** of the Climate
> Program Office is responsible for establishing and maintaining the
> sustained global ocean observing system necessary for climate research
> and prediction as well as long-term monitoring for climate change
> detection and attribution. Through the Climate program, NOAA provides
> the major U.S. contribution to the Global Component of the Integrated
> Ocean Observing System (IOOS) -- the U.S. contribution to the Global
> Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the ocean baseline of the Global
> Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). All of NOAA's
> contributions to the global ocean observing system are coordinated
> internationally in cooperation with the Joint WMO/IOC Technical
> Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (WMO: World
> Meteorological Organization. IOC: Intergovernmental Oceanographic
> Commission of the United Nations Educational, Science, and Cultural
> Organization). This international observation system is based on
> measuring a set of core variables (for example: ocean temperature,
> surface winds, salinity, sea level, carbon dioxide) that have been
> agreed nationally and internationally as necessary to provide the
> information needed by the United States and the other nations of the
> World to effectively plan for and manage their response to climate
> variability and change.
>
> The major elements of the global ocean observing system are listed
> below. Satellites are also critical elements of this composite system,
> but they are listed elsewhere in the NOAA and NASA budgets. It must be
> emphasized that all of these elements working together provide the
> needed system. They are interdependent. Each element brings its unique
> strengths and limitations. Together they build the whole. For example:
> the Argo Profiling Floats measure the upper ocean's heat content which
> is directly related to our changing climate and is reflected in sea
> level change; global sea level is measured by satellite altimeters
> which must be continuously calibrated using the Tide Gauge Stations;
> the ocean's heat is transferred to the atmosphere at the sea surface
> (it is sea surface temperature that directly influences the Earth's
> climate and our daily weather); the sea surface temperature is
> measured by the Surface Drifting Buoys and Moored Buoys; Ships of
> Opportunity and the Dedicated Ships are necessary to observe the
> atmosphere over the ocean and it is they that deploy the Buoys and
> Floats at sea; the Argo Float measurements must be calibrated by
> systematic deep ocean observations from the Dedicated Ships in
> conjunction with the Ocean Carbon surveys. The entire system must go
> forward together; none of the elements can do the job by itself.
>
> This system was designed to meet climate requirements, but it also
> provides the global ocean backbone needed to support weather and storm
> prediction, global and coastal ocean prediction, marine hazards
> warning, transportation, marine environment and ecosystem monitoring,
> and naval applications:

-   ***Argo Profiling Floats:*** These floats provide the subsurface
    measurements of ocean temperature and salinity that are necessary,
    along with the satellite altimeter measurements, to monitor global
    sea level change and changes in the ocean's heat storage. This is an
    international effort with 18 nations plus the European Union
    currently providing floats.

-   ***Surface Drifting Buoys*:** Sea surface temperature is the single
    most important ocean variable for the global heat, water, and carbon
    cycles. A global array of 1,250 surface drifting buoys is maintained
    by NOAA and 14 international partners to calibrate satellite
    observations and reduce errors in global measurement of this
    critical ocean climate variable. The drifters also measure surface
    currents globally and provide sea surface data under hurricanes to
    help improve predictions of hurricane intensity and landfall.

-   ***Tide Gauge Stations**:* Sea level rise is one of the most
    immediate impacts of climate change. NOAA in cooperation with 66
    nations is implementing the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
    sea level reference network of 170 geodetically located tide gauge
    stations. The stations measure sea level change at the coast and are
    used to calibrate the satellite measurements of the deep ocean. They
    report in near-real-time and are also used for the tsunami warning
    system, storm surge, navigation, and other coastal marine services.

-   ***Tropical Moored Buoys**:* The Earth's tropics are the ocean's
    major capacity for heat exchange with the atmosphere. The Pacific El
    Niño influences global climate and weather patterns. Together with
    international partners, NOAA is working to instrument all three
    tropical oceans - the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean - for
    continuous real-time measurement of ocean-atmosphere exchanges that
    affect the way our climate varies from year to year.

-   ***Ocean Reference Stations:*** NOAA, in cooperation with the
    National Science Foundation and international partners, is
    implementing a sparse global network of the highest quality ocean
    reference station moorings. The surface and subsurface measurements
    from these Reference Stations have been a cornerstone of the
    documentation of long term changes in the ocean-atmosphere exchange
    and provide "ground truth" for improvement of forecast models. This
    network also monitors major ocean currents (for example, the Gulf
    Stream) to identify changes in circulation that could provide
    possible indications of abrupt climate change.

-   ***Ships of Opportunity (SOOP):*** The global atmospheric and
    oceanic data from Ships of Opportunity have been the foundation for
    understanding long-term changes in marine climate and are essential
    input to climate and weather forecast models. The Ships of
    Opportunity are also the system's workhorse for deployment of the
    Drifting Buoys and Argo Floats.

-   ***Ocean Carbon Networks:*** Projecting decadal to centennial global
    climate change is closely linked to assumptions about feedback
    effects between the ocean and atmosphere related to sequestering of
    carbon in the ocean and additional input of carbon dioxide into the
    atmosphere. The SOOP fleet and NOAA in cooperation with the National
    Science Foundation and international partners are implementing an
    ongoing ocean carbon inventory surveying the globe once every ten
    years, supplemented by autonomous carbon dioxide sampling
    instruments on the ships and the moored buoys to measure the air-sea
    exchange of carbon dioxide seasonally.

-   ***Arctic Ocean Observing System:*** Over the past 20 or more years,
    significant changes have been noted in the Arctic, such as thawing
    of permafrost, earlier break-up of ice on rivers, and thinning of
    the ice cover on the Arctic Ocean. NOAA is joining with other
    Federal agencies and international collaborators to begin a
    long-term effort to quantify the flux of fresh water from the Arctic
    to the North Atlantic. The initial steps will be made through
    deployment of moorings at critical locations in the Arctic.

-   ***Dedicated Ships:*** Ocean research vessels from NOAA and
    university partners are essential elements of the support
    infrastructure necessary to sustain the ocean observing system. The
    dedicated ships provide the highest quality reference data sets, the
    platforms for the ocean carbon surveys, and platforms for deployment
    of the Moored and Drifting Buoys and the Argo Floats.

-   ***Data Management, Data Assimilation, and Analysis:*** A robust and
    scalable Data Management and Communications (DMAC) infrastructure is
    essential to the vision of a sustained and integrated ocean
    observing system. Standards and protocols are essential to enable
    interoperability across all global and coastal ocean observing
    systems. Data must be retained and made available for analyses and
    for assimilation into models to understand and forecast climate
    change, and for efficiently managing observing system operations and
    improvements. Thus, the advancement of assimilation techniques and
    the scientific analysis of ocean data are
    ![](media/image1.pct){width="5.875in"
    height="3.863888888888889in"}also important elements of the global
    ocean observing system. \[End\]

> Figure 1. The subsystems that make up the Sustained Ocean Observing
> System for Climate are illustrated from lower left to upper right:
> Dedicated Ships, Ships of Opportunity, Ocean Reference Stations, Tide
> Gauge Stations, Arctic Ocean Observing Network, Tropical Moored Buoy
> Network, Surface Drifting Buoys, Argo Profiling Floats, and Continuous
> Satellite Missions for sea surface temperature, sea surface height,
> surface vector winds, ocean color, and sea ice. Not illustrated are
> the Data & Assimilation Subsystems, and Management & Product Delivery,
> which provide the overarching system integration.

The purpose of this NOAA report is to describe in detail the ocean
system that is summarized above, how it is operated and funded, and
NOAA's plans for sustaining this essential ocean component of the
climate observing system over the long term.

2.0 Introduction

**2.1 Ocean Climate Observation**

Ocean waters cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface. 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. The ocean has
potential to store 1,000 times more heat than the atmosphere and 50
times more carbon. Eighty-five percent of the rain and snow that water
our Earth comes directly from the ocean. Prolonged drought is influenced
by persistent patterns of ocean temperature. Ocean regimes such as El
Niño change weather and storm patterns around the world. Sea level rise
is one of the most immediate impacts of climate change, and the key to
the possibility of rapid climate change may lie in deep ocean
circulation.

Observation is the foundation for all climate information. NOAA needs,
in particular, a global ocean observing system to fulfill both its
climate and weather forecast missions. The memory of the global
atmosphere is eight days, whereas the memory of the ocean is at least a
hundred years. So any forecast of weather conditions beyond one week, or
at most two, needs the ocean. Under many storm conditions even
short-term weather forecasts are improved by including ocean-atmosphere
interaction. The longer the time-scale of concern, the more important
the ocean becomes. Predictions of climate conditions in the next decades
depend essentially on ocean data.

Ocean observations are needed not only to drive forecast models, but
also to assess the changing state of the climate. Hundreds of research
papers cited in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) depended upon ocean data. One example
involved the global carbon budget; at present it is believed that the
ocean absorbs about half of the carbon that mankind puts into the
atmosphere. Only with sustained ocean observations will we know if this
will continue, and if resulting ocean acidity will continue to increase.

Although many impacts of climate variability are felt locally, climate
is a global phenomenon. It is critical that the United States establish
a global ocean climate observing system now, and commit to sustaining
it, so that the Nation and the world will have the best possible
information from which to initiate climate projections, and so that
future generations will have the information necessary to resolve
questions about long-term trends in Earth's ever changing climate.

At present, NOAA is the world leader in implementing the *in situ*
elements of the global ocean observing system for climate. NOAA's
Climate Observation Division sponsors the majority of the Global
Component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), which is
the U.S. contribution to the international Global Ocean Observing System
(GOOS) and the ocean baseline of the Global Earth Observation System of
Systems (GEOSS). NOAA sponsors nearly half of the platforms presently
deployed in the global ocean (3860 of 7723) with 72 other countries
providing the remainder. NOAA has historically contributed about half of
the international system, and has been a leader in fostering an
international systems approach to the implementation of GOOS.

The ocean observing system, while expanding in coverage, is not yet
complete. The global system is currently at 60% of the initial design.
The demand for ocean data and the products/forecasts derived from these
data require that NOAA, working cooperatively with other agencies and
nations, complete deployment as soon as possible. Implementation of the
*in situ* system is the responsibility of NOAA's Climate Observation
Division.

**2.2 Goal and Objectives**

The goal of the Climate Observation Division 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. The
focus is on building the *in situ* ocean component. The Division's
objectives are to:

-   document long term trends in sea level change;

-   document ocean carbon sources and sinks;

-   document the ocean's storage and global transport of heat and fresh
    water; and

-   document ocean-atmosphere exchange of heat and fresh water.

2.3 Requirement Drivers

The ocean climate observing system strives to deliver continuous
instrumental records and global analyses of:

-   Sea level to identify changes resulting from climate variability and
    change;

-   Ocean carbon content every ten years and the air-sea exchange
    seasonally;

-   Sea surface temperature and surface currents to identify significant
    patterns of climate variability;

-   Sea surface pressure and air-sea exchanges of heat, momentum, and
    fresh water to identity changes in forcing function driving ocean
    conditions and atmospheric conditions;

-   Ocean heat and fresh water content and transports to: (1) identify
    changes in the global water cycle; (2) identify changes in
    thermohaline circulation and monitor for indications of possible
    abrupt climate change; and (3) identify where anomalies enter the
    ocean, how they move and are transformed, and where they re-emerge
    to interact with the atmosphere; and

-   Sea ice extent, concentrations, and thickness to identify changes
    resulting from, and contributing to, climate variability and change.

Nationally, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) Strategic
Plan expresses need for "complete global coverage of the oceans with
moored, drifting, and ship-based networks;" and the Joint Subcommittee
on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) *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." NOAA's Climate Observation Division program is the core of
the Global Component of the U.S. IOOS.

U.S. IOOS consists of both a Global Component and a Coastal Component.
The Coastal Component is not explained by this report; the Global
Component is the subject of this report. The Global Component, also
referred to as the sustained global ocean observing system for climate,
is designed to meet climate requirements. Though NOAA's climate mission
is the primary driver for implementation, many non-climate users depend
on the system, as it also supports weather prediction, global and
coastal ocean prediction, marine hazard warning systems (e.g., tsunami
warning), transportation, marine environment and ecosystem monitoring,
and naval applications.

2.4 Implementation Plan

In response to the *Second Adequacy Report*, the international Global
Climate Observing System (of the World Meteorological Organization)
produced the *Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for
Climate in support of the UNFCCC* (GCOS-92). GCOS-92 was published in
October 2004. It has been endorsed by the UNFCCC and by the Group on
Earth Observations (GEO). The United States Group on Earth Observations
(US GEO) *Strategic Plan for the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation
System* notes: \"As the U.S. plan for climate observations moves
forward, it should strive to build on the GCOS Implementation plan." The
CCSP Observations Working Group has endorsed the "GCOS Implementation
plan as a blueprint for guiding climate observation activities."

NOAA's advancement of the global ocean observing system is guided by the
Climate Observation Division's multi-year *Program Plan for Building a
Sustained Ocean Observing System for Climate*, which is updated
annually. This NOAA plan is in accord with GCOS-92 and provides the
framework for NOAA contributions to the international effort. All of the
work supported by NOAA is directed toward implementation of this
international plan and the projects are being implemented in accordance
with the GCOS Ten Climate Monitoring Principles. NOAA presently
contributes nearly half of the total international effort. The intended
outcome of the implementation plan is a sustained global system of
complementary *in situ*, satellite, data, and modeling subsystems
adequate to accurately document the state of the ocean and to force
climate models.

2.5 Partnerships are central

A global observing system by definition crosses international and
institutional boundaries, with potential for both benefits and
responsibilities to be shared by many. Working in partnership with other
nations and other agencies is a central precept of NOAA's ocean climate
observation strategy. All of NOAA's contributions to global ocean
observation are coordinated internationally in cooperation with the
Joint World Meteorological Organization/Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (WMO/IOC) Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine
Meteorology (JCOMM). To facilitate international coordination and
cooperation, the Climate Observation Division has assigned one employee
to the JCOMM secretariat at the IOC in Paris, and the Chief of the
Climate Observation Division serves on the JCOMM Management Committee as
Observations Program Area Coordinator. Nationally, the Climate
Observation Division is co-located with the NOAA IOOS Program to
facilitate coordination across NOAA, and with the Interagency Office for
Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observation (Ocean.US) to facilitate
coordination across all the federal ocean agencies.

**3.0 Implementing the Global Ocean Observing System for Climate**

Implementation of the NOAA contribution to the global ocean observing
system is managed by the Climate Observation Division as 10 networks or
subsystems. An eleventh overarching subsystem is Program Management and
Product Delivery.

Satellites also provide critical contributions to global ocean
observation. A discussion of the satellite contributions is included
herein, but operation of the satellites does not fall under the mandate
of the Climate Observation Division. This report focuses on the *in
situ* system that is managed by the Division, and that is described in
the Congressional Submission.

The system is illustrated in Figure 2, and the ongoing work in each of
the subsystems is summarized in the sections below. Each subsystem
brings its unique strengths and limitations; together they build the
whole; they are interdependent and must go forward together as a system.
For example, the global Argo array of profiling floats is a primary tool
for documenting upper 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 ships, 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, and the deep ocean below the reach of
Argo floats can only be sampled by ship-based systems, while the
measurements taken by all networks will be rendered effective only
through the data and assimilation subsystems.

The status, priorities, and milestones for the individual subsystems are
discussed in the sections that follow. For each subsystem the priority
tasks are listed in tabular form. The tables show the international goal
in the right-hand column and NOAA's contributions to the international
system in the other columns. Relative emphases in completing the several
components of the observing system will depend on the priorities
assigned to the network tasks in the context of the overall requirements
of climate services.

3.1 Status of the System overall

The international global ocean climate observing system overall has
advanced from 45% complete in FY 2003 to 60% complete in FY 2008. There
are presently 7,723 *in situ* platforms maintained globally by the
international community. NOAA supports 3,860 of this total.

![](media/image2.pct){width="5.376388888888889in"
height="0.9166666666666666in"}Table 1: Progress toward global
implementation as measured by the Percent Complete Index.

The system total "percent complete" is an index that has been developed
for tracking progress toward implementation of the initial system
design. There are 17 platforms and sensors that have been identified as
initial targets for tracking purposes; they do not constitute an
exhaustive list of observing system assets; but they provide
representative milestones to help gauge progress toward global coverage.
The system total index is simply the average of the 17 individual
percentages; no effort has been made to weight the various components of
the observing system in calculating this index. Of the present 60%
system total index, NOAA contributes 24%; one other U.S. agency (the
National Science Foundation) and 72 other nations contribute the
remaining 36% (The National Science Foundation contributes 1%; together
with NOAA's 24%, the U.S. contribution to the international effort
totals 25%; and the other nations' contributions total 35%). The
spreadsheet that is used to track this index and the contributions by
countries is maintained by NOAA at www.oco.noaa.gov.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="6.0in" height="4.5in"}

> Figure 2: A schematic of the initial composite ocean observing system,
> including the current status against the targets of JCOMM and the GCOS
> Implementation Plan (GCOS-92), maintained by the international GOOS
> Project Office. The statistics were calculated by NOAA's Office of
> Climate Observation as a national contribution to the international
> effort. Of the total 60% index shown, NOAA's contribution is 24%.

2.  **Status of the subsystems**

The following sections, Sections 3.2.1 through 3.2.12, provide an
overview of each subsystem of the composite ocean observing system. The
tables within each section summarize the current status and recent
progress of that subsystem, and give both the international goals and
NOAA's contributions to the international effort. In the tables, NOAA's
contributions are shown in plain text, and the international goals are
shown in bold text.

1.  **Tide Gauge Stations**

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 3: Tide Gauge Stations. The task is to upgrade all 170 stations
> to be geo-centrically located (white dots) and reporting in near real
> time (blue icons).

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 and change. Many tide stations
need to be upgraded with modern technology particularly in less
developed countries. Permanent GPS receivers are being installed at a
selected subset of stations, leading to a geocentrically located subset
of 170 GCOS Climate Reference Stations. 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 the JCOMM Global Sea Level
Observing System (GLOSS), NOAA will help sustain the global tide gauge
network for validation of satellite retrievals, validation of climate
model results, documentation of seasonal to centennial variability in
the El Niño 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 as well.

The global sea level network provides one of the best examples of why
international partnerships are so critical to climate observation. NOAA
supports tide gauge station operations in 32 different counties and
collects near-real-time data from 102 stations world-wide (the goal is
170 stations). The multi-national system is coordinated through the
JCOMM Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) Group of Experts. U.S.
international operations are managed by NOAA's Joint Institute for
Marine and Atmospheric Research at the University of Hawaii. Stations in
the United States and U.S. territories are operated by NOAA's Center for
Operational Ocean Products and Services. Near-real-time data are
distributed by the GLOSS data assembly center operated at the University
of Hawaii, and historical data are archived and distributed by NOAA's
National Oceanographic Data Center.

This subsystem contributes 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). Taking into account the status of the several
components of this subsystem (see table below), the subsystem overall is
estimated to be about 62% complete at present, with NOAA contributing
16%.

+----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+----------------+
| NOAA Contributions         | F   | F   | F   | F   | *              |
|                            | Y06 | Y07 | Y08 | Y09 | *International |
|                            |     |     |     |     | Goal**         |
+----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+----------------+
| Operational GLOSS stations | 26  | 26  | 26  | 26  | **290**        |
+----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+----------------+
| GPS installations          | 20  | 21  | 21  | 21  | **170**        |
|                            |     |     |     |     |                |
| at GCOS stations           |     |     |     |     |                |
+----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+----------------+
| Real-time reporting GCOS   | 34  | 48  | 48  | 48  | **170**        |
| stations                   |     |     |     |     |                |
+----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+----------------+

Table 2: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Tide Gauge
Stations.

**3.2.2 Surface Drifting Buoys**

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 4: Surface Drifting Buoy Array. A major milestone was reached
> in September 2005 when the global drifter array achieved its initial
> design goal of 1,250 data buoys in sustained service and became the
> first component of the Global Ocean Observing System to be fully
> deployed.

Standard global SST analyses are derived from satellite retrievals, but
the satellite measurements must be continuously tuned using surface *in
situ* measurements. The design for the global surface drifting buoy
array (GCOS-92) calls for 1,250 buoys to be maintained world wide,
spaced approximately 500 km apart in order to adequately tune satellite
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. Drifters equipped with
barometers provide critical near-real-time observations of atmospheric
pressure for numerical weather prediction, as well as for documenting
global scale trends in climate variability (the drifters report hourly
via satellite communications). 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, is working to
augment the drifter array with subsets of buoys for wind, pressure,
salinity, and temperature profile measurement capabilities. The global
drifting buoy array reached its initial design goal of 1250 data buoys
in sustained service in 2005. The next challenge is to equip all buoys
with barometers (presently about 500 are maintained with barometers),
and to install salinity sensors on a subset of 300 buoys (none
presently), particularly in the sub-polar regions for analysis of fresh
water input from melting ice sheets and changes in thermohaline
circulation.

NOAA's global drifter program is managed jointly by the Atlantic
Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), and the Joint
Institute for Marine Observations at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography. Twelve other countries contribute to this subsystem under
the framework of the JCOMM Data Buoy Cooperation Panel. Near-real-time
data are distributed on the Global Telecommunications System and by the
Global Drifter Program Data Assembly Center at AOML, and historical data
are archived and distributed by NOAA's National Oceanographic Data
Center.

This subsystem supports 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.
The global drifter array has achieved it's 100% design goal of 1,250
buoys in sustained service; taking into account the status of the
several partially-completed components of this subsystem, however, the
subsystem overall is estimated to be about 79% complete at present, with
NOAA contributing 49%.

  -------------------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------------------
  NOAA Contributions         FY06   FY07   FY08   FY09   **International
                                                         Goal**

  Operational buoys in       1021   965    1000   1000   **1250**
  service\*                                              

  Hurricane drifters         62     40     40     40     **50**

  Add barometers             215    258    270    270    **1250**

  Add salinity sensors       12     5      0      0      **300**
  -------------------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------------------

Table 3: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Surface Drifting
Buoys.

> \*Actual number of operational buoys in service at any particular time
> is often slightly different from the "required" uniform spatial
> distribution of 1250 buoys because of the complexity of continually
> re-seeding the array while anticipating when the batteries will expire
> in the buoys that are already deployed, and attempting to achieve the
> necessary spatial distribution within constantly varying ocean surface
> circulation.

**3.2.3 Tropical Moored Buoy Network**

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 5: 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 array in the Atlantic basin
(PIRATA) now also contributes to better understanding, model output
evaluation, improved forecasts, and improved ability to discern the
causes of longer-term changes in the Oceans. The next challenge is to
advance the tropical moored array across the Indian Ocean, in
cooperation with international partners. The RAMA (Research
African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Array) will complete global coverage of
the Earth's tropical oceans; there are presently eight moorings in
operation; the RAMA system design is for 43. In addition to monitoring
the air-sea exchange of heat and water, the moored buoys provide
platforms for supporting instrumentation to measure the air-sea exchange
of carbon dioxide in the tropics.

The TAO/TRITON array in the Pacific Ocean is operated by NOAA's National
Data Buoy Center (NDBC) in cooperation with Japan. PIRATA in the
Atlantic is operated jointly by NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and
Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL), in cooperation with Brazil and France. The Indian
Ocean RAMA is being implemented by PMEL in cooperation with Japan,
France, India, and Indonesia. Near-real-time data are distributed on the
Global Telecommunications System; near-real-time data from TAO/TRITON
are available from NDBC; near-real-time data from PIRATA and RAMA are
available from PMEL. Historical data are archived and distributed by the
NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center and the NOAA National Climatic
Data Center.

This subsystem supports 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. This subsystem overall is
estimated to be about 79% complete at present, with NOAA contributing
64%.

  ---------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------------------
  NOAA Contributions     FY06    FY07    FY08    FY09    **International
                                                         Goal**

  TAO/Triton array       55      55      55      55      **70**

  PIRATA                 16      18      17      17      **18**

  Indian Ocean (RAMA)    6       8       16      18      **43**

  Add salinity sensors   33      55      55      55      **55**

  Add flux capability    7       9       10      11      **15**
  ---------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------------------

> Table 4: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Tropical Moored
> Buoys.

**3.2.4 Ships of Opportunity**

![](media/image7.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in"
height="4.552083333333333in"}

> Figure 6: 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.
The SOOP are commercial carriers that transit scientifically important
trans-oceanic routes; they volunteer to take ocean measurements using
NOAA-supplied instruments, or host NOAA technicians on-board during the
transits to take the measurements. Improved instrument accuracy,
automated reporting, and improved information about how the observations
were taken are being implemented to enhance the quality of these data,
reducing both systematic and random errors. NOAA is working to improve
meteorological measurement capabilities on the global SOOP fleet for
improved marine weather and climate forecasting in general, and is
concentrating on a specific subset of 51 high accuracy SOOP lines to be
frequently repeated and sampled at high resolution for systematic upper
ocean temperature (using Expendable Bathy-Thermograph probes -- XBTs)
and atmospheric measurement. This climate-specific subset provides
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 -- surface drifting buoys and Argo profiling floats.

Seven countries contribute to the operation of this subsystem. NOAA's
Atlantic operations are managed by the Atlantic Oceanographic and
Meteorological Laboratory, and NOAA's Indo-Pacific operations are
managed by the Joint Institute for Marine Observations at Scripps
Institution of Oceanography. Data are archived and distributed by NOAA's
National Oceanographic Data Center.

Closely aligned with the Ships of Opportunity program is the Volunteer
Observing Ship (VOS) program, which is managed in the U.S. by NOAA's
National Data Buoy Center. This network is maintained primarily for
weather observations at sea, but the observational data are used
extensively for climate studies as well, particularly for assessment of
long-term trends, since ships have been recording weather observations
for over 150 years. All maritime nations participate. There are about
910 VOS that now report regularly, data from 435 of those are processed
by NOAA. A subset of 250 ships is targeted by JCOMM for registry in the
VOSClim project to provide enhanced data reports especially for climate
observation.

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 7: Volunteer Observing Ships report weather observations that
> are used in weather now-casting and forecasting, analysis of sea
> surface temperature, and for analysis of climate-scale trends over the
> global ocean.

The SOOP and VOS subsystems 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. Taking into account the status of the
several components of this subsystem, the subsystem overall is estimated
to be about 67% complete at present, with NOAA contributing 24%.

  --------------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -----------------
  NOAA Contributions          FY06    FY07    FY08    FY09    **International
                                                              Goal**

  Total XBTs dropped          12544   15823   16000   16000   **24000**

  High resolution lines       12      12      12      12      **26**
  occupied                                                    

  Frequently repeated lines   7       7       7       7       **25**
  occupied                                                    

  Add flux/salinity to HRX    4       5       5       5       **26**

  VOSClim ships registered    12      12      12      12      **250**

  Auto-met package in service 0       0       0       0       **250**
  --------------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -----------------

Table 5: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Ships of
Opportunity.

**3.2.5 Argo profiling floats**

![](media/image9.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 8: Argo array of Profiling Floats. A major milestone was
> reached in October 2007 when the Argo array achieved its initial
> design goal of 3000 active floats deployed.

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. The initial goal of three thousand floats in
active service was achieved in October 2007. The U.S. contribution is
approximately one-half of this international project. Glider technology
is now being developed to augment standard drifting Argo floats in the
boundary currents and targeted deep circulation regions, where
station-keeping by standard floats is not possible. The measurements
from the Argo array to date have now demonstrated the need for climate
observations below 2000 meters in order to measure the total global heat
storage in the ocean; designing and building deep diving floats is the
next technology challenge.

Twenty-two countries and the European Union contribute to the
international Argo program. The U.S. project is being implemented
jointly by five NOAA institutions: the Atlantic Oceanographic and
Meteorological Laboratory, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory,
the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Oceanographic Research at
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Joint Institute for Marine
Observations and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Joint
Institute for Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean at the University of
Washington. Near-real-time data is distributed by the Argo Global Data
Assembly Center operated at the Navy Fleet Numerical Meteorology and
Oceanography Center and historical data is archived and distributed by
NOAA's National Oceanographic Data Center.

This subsystem supports 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. The
Argo array has reached its initial design goal of 3,000 floats in active
service, with NOAA contributing 58%.

  ---------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------------------
  NOAA Contributions     FY06    FY07    FY08    FY09    **International
                                                         Goal**

  Argo floats in         1263    1741    1500    1500    **3000**
  service\*                                              

  Gliders                2       3       3       3       **100**

  Deep diving floats     0       0       0       0       **1000**
  ---------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------------------

Table 6: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Argo Profiling
Floats.

> \*The actual number of floats in service at any particular time will
> vary slightly from the "required" uniform spatial distribution of
> 3,000 floats because of the complexity of continually re-seeding the
> array while anticipating when the batteries will expire in the buoys
> that are already deployed.

**3.2.6 Ocean Reference Stations**

![](media/image10.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 9: Ocean Reference Stations

NOAA, together with international partners, is implementing a global
network of ocean reference station moored buoys to provide the most
accurate long-term climate data records of oceanic and near-surface
atmospheric parameters in key ocean regimes. NSF's Ocean Observatories
Initiative (OOI) will provide a major piece of the infrastructure needed
for this network, establishing high-capability moored stations,
particularly in high latitude ocean locations. NOAA's contribution
includes the tropical regions where a subset of the TAO/TRITON, PIRATA,
and RAMA networks are being upgraded to reference station quality, and
includes several other long time series sites.

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 are often 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 boundary currents along the continents such as the
Florida Current, must be sustained to measure the primary routes of
ocean heat, carbon, and fresh water transport. Additionally, 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.

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 potential rapid climate
change. It is essential that the ocean observing system maintain watch
at a few control points at critical locations. Sustained deployment of
long-term bottom-mounted and subsurface moored arrays and repeated
temperature, salinity, and chemical tracer surveys from research vessels
will form the backbone of this network.

The Ocean Reference Station subsystem is one of the most challenging
because of the expense of maintaining highly accurate instruments in
remote ocean regions. Yet this network is essential for evaluation of
climate model outputs. The system design is for 89 locations; 43 are
presently in operation.

The global effort is being implemented through coordination by the
JCOMM-affiliated OceanSITES program. The NOAA contributions are managed
by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, the Pacific
Marine Environmental Laboratory, the Cooperative Institute for Climate
and Ocean Research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the
Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications Research at Columbia
University, and the Joint Institute for Marine Observations at Scripps
Institution of Oceanography.

This subsystem supports 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
(in conjunction with the Ocean Carbon Networks, discussed below); and
(3) document the air-sea exchange of water and the ocean's overturning
circulation. Taking into account the status of the several components of
this subsystem, the subsystem overall is estimated to be about 36%
complete at present, with NOAA contributing 14%.

  --------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- --------------------
  NOAA Contributions    FY06    FY07    FY08    FY09    **International
                                                        Goal**

  Flux moorings\*       4       4       5       5       **21**

  Full depth stations   5       5       5       5       **44**

  Transport sections    1       3       3       3       **10**

  Tropical flux         7       8       8       9       **12**
  stations                                              
  --------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- --------------------

> Table 7: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Ocean Reference
> Stations.
>
> \*These do not include the flux stations in the tropical moored buoy
> arrays.

**3.2.7 Ocean Carbon Networks**

![](media/image11.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in"
height="4.552083333333333in"}

> Figure 10: Ocean Carbon Networks

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 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 is working
to add autonomous carbon dioxide sampling to the moored arrays and the
Ships of Opportunity fleet to analyze the seasonal variability in carbon
exchange between the ocean and atmosphere. Additionally, in partnership
with NSF, NOAA is implementing 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, and to document changes in the deep
ocean beyond the reach of present Argo float technology. This work is
dependent on implementation of the ship lines and moored and drifting
arrays.

Nine countries cooperatively contribute to this effort under the
umbrella of the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project. The
U.S. contribution is a collaboration of NOAA laboratories, cooperative
institutes, NSF funded universities, and the Department of Entergy
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC). The NOAA centers of
expertise are at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological
Laboratory, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, the Joint
Institute for Marine Observations at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, the Joint Institute for Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean
at the University of Washington, the Cooperative Institute for Climate
Applications Research at Columbia University, the Cooperative Institute
for Climate Studies at Princeton University, and the Cooperative
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami.

This subsystem supports climate services by providing measurements to
(1) document ocean carbon sources and sinks; and (2) document heat
uptake, transport, and release by the ocean. Taking into account the
status of the several components of this subsystem, the subsystem
overall is estimated to be about 43% complete at present, with NOAA
contributing 25%.

  ------------------------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------------------
  NOAA Contributions       FY06   FY07   FY08   FY09   **International
                                                       Goal**

  Inventory cruises,       4      6      8      10     **37**
  cumulative                                           

  Time series moorings     8      11     11     11     **60**

  Coastal flux moorings    2      4      4      4      **12**

  Surface CO2 on SOOP      7      9      9      9      **42**
  ------------------------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------------------

> Table 8: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Ocean Carbon
> Networks.

**3.2.8 Arctic Ocean Observing Network**

![](media/image12.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in"
height="4.552083333333333in"}

> Figure 11: Conceptual Sustain Arctic Observing Network. The design
> will be finalized in 2008 by the international community.

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 first being detected. A program of
sustained observations of this area is being conducted through dedicated
and shared ship-based cruises, permanent oceanographic moorings and
gliders, ice buoys, 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 global ocean heat transport, productivity, and
food web structure. In addition to ice beacons, ice-tethered buoys and
bottom-mounted moorings are also deployed to monitor the drift of Arctic
sea ice and determine its thickness. This record of changes in sea ice
extent and thickness, together with satellite observations of sea ice
extent, provide the estimates of changes in sea ice volume. Given the
rapid retreat of the sea ice cover in the summer and the increased
presence of seasonal sea ice in the winter, a new deployment strategy
using open ocean drifters as well as seasonal buoys that can survive
through melt and freeze up cycles will be required in order to maintain
a basin-wide distribution of buoy observations.

Over the past 20 or more years, NOAA has contributed with other
government agencies through the U.S. Interagency Buoy Program (USIABP)
to support sea ice beacons and ice mass balance buoys purchase,
deployment, and data management. These data buoys, reporting through the
National Ice Center's Argos Program, form an essential part of the
International Arctic Buoy Programme (IABP) tracking changes in the sea
ice extent and age as well as providing pressure and temperature
observations for numerical weather prediction. NOAA is also joining with
other Federal agencies and international collaborators to begin a
long-term effort to quantify the flux of fresh water from the Arctic to
the North Atlantic. The initial steps will be made through deployment of
moorings at critical locations in the Arctic.

In 2008, NOAA working with the NSF and international partners will
develop an implementation plan for transitioning observational advances
established by the research programs during the present International
Polar Year (IPY) into a Sustained Arctic Observing Network (SAON). It is
envisioned that NOAA will provide the programmatic focus within the
United States for maintaining the SAON over the long term.

NOAA's contributions to this subsystem are managed at the Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory, the Environmental Sciences Research
Laboratory, the National Ice Center, the Cooperative Institute for
Arctic Research at the University of Alaska, the Joint Institute for
Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean at the University of Washington, and
through grants to several other universities.

Information from the Arctic Ocean is critical for improvement of global
climate models, for development of a regional Arctic climate model, and
for weather prediction. This subsystem supports climate services by
providing ocean and ice measurements needed to document heat uptake,
transport, and release by the ocean. The initial design for the
Sustained Arctic Observing Network will be completed in 2008, but a
preliminary estimate is that this subsystem is about 29% complete at
present.

  -------------------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------------------
  NOAA Contributions         FY06   FY07   FY08   FY09   **International
                                                         Goal\***

  Ice buoys/ ice-tethered    5      3      3      3      **40**
  stations                                               

  Arctic moorings            3      8      8      8      **15**

  Ship transects             1      1      1      1      **12**

  Coastal Climate            2      2      2      2      **6**
  Observatories                                          
  -------------------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------------------

> Table 9: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Arctic Ocean
> Observing Networks.
>
> \* Estimates. The initial design will be completed in 2008.

**3.2.9 Dedicated Ships**

Research vessel and dedicated ship support from the NOAA fleet and the
UNOLS fleet for deployment of the moored and drifting arrays, and for
deep ocean surveys, is an essential component of the global climate
observing system. 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 maintains sensor suites on a small core of vessels as the highest
quality calibration points for validation of the other system
measurements.

This work is supported by the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation
Operations, and the Climate Observation Division. The Climate
Observation Division provides charter funding for four projects on UNOLS
ships and three cooperative projects with other countries.

This subsystem supports 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. The present effort of 492
days is estimated to be 56% of the ship days at sea goal.

  ---------------------------------------- ------- ------- ------- -------
  NOAA Contributions (days at sea)         FY06    FY07    FY08    FY09

                                                                   

  Kai'imimoana TAO/TRITON operations       222     240     240     235

  TAO/TRITON additional                    40      40      40      40

  PIRATA                                   35      30      30      30

  Carbon survey                            57      0       65      0

  Coastal flux maps                        0       61      0       60

  Reference stations                       54      48      61      54

  Drifting arrays                          0       0       0       0

  Western Boundary Current                 34      50      34      34

  Weddell Sea moorings                     4       3       4       4

  Arctic hydrographic sections             18      20      18      35

  Total NOAA contribution                  468     492     492     492
  ---------------------------------------- ------- ------- ------- -------

> Table 10: Milestones for implementing the subsystem of Dedicated
> Ships.

**3.2.10 Satellites**

The Climate Observation Division program does not support satellite
systems, but measurements from space are essential for climate
observation; the *in situ* systems are designed to complement satellite
capabilities. The initial ocean observing system for climate depends on
space based global measurements of (1) sea surface temperature, (2) sea
surface height, (3) ocean surface vector winds, (4) ocean color, and (5)
sea ice.

**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 supports 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).

**Sea surface height:** Observations of sea level -- the surface
topography of the oceans -- from satellite altimetry were initiated by
the TOPEX/Poseidon mission in 1992, are being continued with Jason
today, and will be extended by the Ocean Surface Topography Mission
(OSTM/Jason-2) when launched in June, 2008 -- missions implemented
jointly by the French Space Agency (CNES) and NASA.

Observations of the surface topography or surface pressure field from
altimeters and the upper-ocean density field observed by the global
array of Argo profiling floats are oceanic analogues to the surface
pressure field from barometers and the density field from radiosondes
and satellite profilers for the atmosphere. These two state variables,
together with appropriate boundary conditions -- the surface stress
field from satellite scatterometers and air-sea flux fields derived from
observations collected by buoys moored in the open ocean -- are required
to provide a dynamical basis for understanding and ultimately
forecasting how physical processes in the global oceans:

-   Fuel hurricanes and winter storms,

-   Influence coastal variability and flooding,

-   Affect marine ecosystems and fisheries,

-   Impact seasonal and interannual droughts, and

-   Play a role in the changing climate as manifested in global
    sea-level rise.

With NOAA providing half of the overall effort, the international Argo
program achieved global coverage of the ice-free oceans with 3,000
profiling floats in November 2007, and the 20+ countries involved are
supporting the continuing collection of observations of the upper-ocean
density field.

**Ocean surface vector winds:**

Winds over the ocean are the largest source of momentum for the ocean
surface, and as such they affect the full range of ocean movement - from
individual surface waves to complete current systems. Ocean surface
vector winds (OSVW) also play a key role in regulating the earth's water
and energy cycles by modulating air-sea exchanges of heat, moisture,
gases (such as carbon dioxide), and particulates. This modulation
regulates the interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean, which
establishes and maintains both global and regional climates.

> ![](media/image13.png){width="5.865972222222222in"
> height="3.438888888888889in"}Figure 12. Annual high wind frequency
> climatology derived from 0.25 x 0.25 deg QuikSCAT wind data. Spatial
> variability of the high-wind frequency is associated with SST and
> coastal orography. Plot shows the frequency (color) along with SST
> climatology (contour), orography (shading over land), and the dominant
> direction of the high winds.

The tropical Pacific Ocean and overlying atmosphere react to and
influence each other. Easterly surface winds along the equator control
the amount and temperature of the water that upwells (moves or flows
upward) to the surface. This upwelling of cold water determines
sea-surface temperature distribution, which affects rainfall
distribution. This in turn determines the strength of the easterly
winds - a continuous cycle.

OSVW are required to compute air-sea fluxes and are used in numerical
modeling of the ocean and atmosphere for weather and wave forecasts,
biophysical interactions and climate studies. As such, characterization
and quantification of the role of the global ocean as a planetary heat
and carbon sink depends critically on the accurate representation of the
global OSVW.

As one of most important dynamic atmospheric parameters OSVW has been
traditionally observed from in situ platforms. Complementary ocean
surface wind speed has been operationally observed from multiple
satellites, starting from the single Defense Meteorological Satellite
Program satellite F08 in July 1987 to the present six or more U.S.
satellites alone. Additionally, over the last eight years NASA's
QuikSCAT mission has provided nearly continuous OSVW data. QuikSCAT was
designed by NASA to observe the tropical oceans, predict El Niño and
other irregular climatic variations, and make climate predictions
readily available for planning purposes. The 90% daily coverage of the
world\'s oceans by QuikSCAT has also proven useful to NOAA\'s
operational weather forecasting and warning mission.

The first high-resolution, observationally-based, online interactive
atlas of global OSVW, was created from QuikSCAT measurements. This atlas
provides highly accurate, global information on wind statistics
throughout Earth\'s oceans. These data are especially important in
regions of the world where there are few ships and buoys to gather data.
The resolution of the data is equivalent to having data from about
150,000 ocean buoys distributed uniformly across the global oceans.

Researchers have also compiled seven years of QuikScat data to create a
never-before-available monthly atlas of how frequently high winds blow
over the open ocean all over the world (Figure 12). High winds play an
important role in Earth\'s climate. They remove heat from the ocean,
leading to the formation of \"deep water\" cold, salty, dense water that
helps drive global ocean circulation patterns. They also help exchange
gases, such as carbon dioxide, between the oceans and the atmosphere,
mix different types of ocean water, and pump nutrients up from the deep
sea for plankton to feed on.

This subsystem supports climate services by providing measurements
needed to (1) document heat uptake, transport, and release by the ocean;
(2) document ocean carbon sources and sinks (ocean surface vector winds
modulates air-sea exchanges of gases such as CO~2~); and (3) document
the air-sea exchange of water and the ocean's overturning circulation.

**Ocean color:** Satellite-based ocean color observations have been
demonstrated to be invaluable in climate studies by improving our
understanding of ocean biology and biogeochemistry and the significant
role of the ocean in the global carbon cycle (e.g., coupled with the
atmosphere-CO~2~ drawdown by phytoplankton, as well as land-terrestrial
loadings into coastal waters). Ocean color data also provides the
necessary information for the impacts of climate change on coastal and
ocean ecosystems, including influences of climate on eutrophication,
harmful algal blooms, primary productivity, fisheries, and protected
habitats. However, it appears more than likely that there will be a
break in the climate quality ocean color time-series as the NASA SeaWiFS
and MODIS-Aqua missions are well into extended mission operations and
the Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NPOESS
Preparatory Project (NPP) does not appear capable of providing
climate-quality ocean color data for the U.S. research and applications
communities. NOAA is working towards a VIIRS unit on the operational
NPOESS C1 platform that provides climate quality ocean color data
streams and a robust supporting calibration/validation program. Ocean
color satellite sensors are unique in that laboratory and on-board
sensor calibrations cannot meet the accuracy requirements for NOAA
science applications. The needed level of uncertainty can only be
achieved using vicarious calibration. The Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) has
provided *in situ* vicarious calibration data since July 20, 1997 and
has been the primary reference standard for climate quality ocean color
data. All measurements are traceable to NIST radiometric standards and
MOBY will transfer this standard between the first days of SeaWiFS,
through the MODIS era, and into VIIRS linking all the ocean color
sensors into one continuous observation. In addition, MOBY provides the
capability to link foreign ocean color sensors into this climate data
record. This task supports climate services by providing measurements
needed to document ocean carbon sources and sinks.

**Sea ice:** Sea ice monitoring in both Polar Regions has been conducted
since the 1970's using originally passive microwave satellite
observations for the most. Modern ice monitoring and charting utilizes a
combination of passive and active microwave, visible and infrared
satellite data. Of these, high resolution active microwave synthetic
aperture radar (SAR) sensors are key in providing all-weather day and
night detailed characterization of sea ice conditions. The use of
relatively lower spatial resolution scatterometer data for sea ice
monitoring and classification has also been successfully demonstrated
with the exploitation of QuikSCAT. The NASA ICESat laser altimeter
mission, although limited in temporal coverage, has also demonstrated
the capability for sea ice thickness mapping from space from an active
sensor, particularly over the Arctic region. While NOAA and NPOESS will
continue to support passive microwave, visible and infrared sensors,
there are no plans for active sensors such as those mentioned above.
Based on recommendations from the National Research Council's Decadal
Survey Report, NASA has developed plans for the DESDynI (Deformation,
Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice) mission using an
interferometric SAR (InSAR) and multiple beam lidar instruments, and for
an ICESat II follow-on mission. Although the present availability of SAR
data is very limited due to commercial pricing, plans are under
development for NOAA and other U.S. government agencies to collaborate
with the Canadian Space Agency in the RADARSAT-Constellation and with
the European Space Agency in the Sentinel-1 constellation.

**3.2.11 Data and Assimilation Subsystems**

A robust and scalable data management infrastructure is essential to the
vision of a sustained ocean observing system. The data streams generated
by the Global Component depend on the Data Management and Communications
System (DMAC) of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). The
Climate Observation Division contributes to the advancement of DMAC in
partnership with the NOAA IOOS Program. 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 GODAE server system presently operated by Navy's Fleet Numerical
Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) in Monterey provides web
access to aggregated and quality-controlled real-time data streams and
is a primary assembly center for real-time global measurements (a
complementary service is provided by IFREMER in France). The GODAE
experimental period ended in 2007. The international 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 Climate Observations Division provided partial support
for GODAE server operations in 2008 to maintain the service through this
transition year until the Division, working with Navy and the IOOS
Program, develops an implementation plan for sustaining the GODAE server
functions either at FNMOC or some other location in the U.S.

![](media/image14.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 13: Satellite and *in situ* observations are combined in data
> assimilation models to produce a best-estimate of the state of the
> ocean. The state of the ocean is then used to drive the forecast
> models that are used for climate and weather prediction. The output
> from the NOAA Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (GODAS) is
> publicly reviewed in monthly briefings by the NOAA Climate Prediction
> Center to evaluate the ever-changing state of the ocean.

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 is developing and implementing
assimilation systems, primarily at NOAA's National Centers for
Environmental Prediction and at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
Laboratory. The Climate Observation Division provides partial support
for developing assimilation techniques for ocean initialization of
seasonal climate forecasts, and decadal forecasts of ocean heat uptake,
thermohaline circulation, and developing the capability for monitoring
changes in oceanic carbon sources and sinks.

Central to delivering data from the drifting buoys, moored buoys, and
Argo floats, is real-time transmission of data from sea to shore-side
processing centers via satellite communications. NOAA satellites provide
two environmental data collection capabilities, the Argos Data
Collection and location System (DCS) and the GOES Data Collection System
(DCS). The Argos DCS is on NOAA polar orbiting satellites and provides
global capability to collect in situ observations and locate the
reporting platforms. The GOES DCS instrument is on the Geostationary
NOAA satellites and provides data collection capabilities for the
western hemisphere. The GOES DCS currently supports *in situ* platforms
providing key observational networks for the US Geological Survey,
National Weather Service, and the National Ocean Service. Future
planning for Sustained Global Ocean Observing System for Climate must
coordinate satellite collection requirements with DCS system evolution.
Changes in capacity, data throughput, and data timeliness are examples
of parameters that can be addressed on future satellite capabilities.

NOAA's Climate Observation Division is the largest single government
user of the Argos system in the world today. Data from the ocean climate
platforms is received, processed, and distributed by a subsidiary of the
French government, CLS America, in Largo, Maryland; this service is
supported through user fees. The Climate Observation Division pays the
user fees for all of the NOAA platforms reporting as components of the
global ocean observing system.

The data management and communications work is being coordinated
internationally with the World Meteorological Organization's WMO
Information system (WIS). Data management is a part of all the subsystem
projects, with principal system-wide integration and assimilation
activities occurring at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory,
National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and Geophysical Fluid
Dynamics Laboratory.

This work supports climate services by providing the integrating data,
synthesis, assimilation, and analysis infrastructure for the ocean
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 (4) document the air-sea exchange of water and the
ocean's overturning circulation.

**3.2.12 Management and product delivery**

The subsystems are being implemented by 22 distributed centers of
expertise within NOAA and the external community. The contributions of
these centers are noted above in each of the sub-system sections.
Operations are detailed by the project managers in their individual
annual reports, which are compiled each year into the *Annual Report on
the State of the Ocean Observing System for Climate*. The *Annual
Report* is available at [www.oco.noaa.gov](http://www.oco.noaa.gov/).
Global ocean observing system work at these centers of expertise is
supported through directed funding from the Climate Observation
Division.

![](media/image15.jpeg){width="6.0in" height="4.5in"}

> Figure 14: Centers of Expertise. The system is being implemented by 22
> distributed centers of expertise within NOAA and the external
> community:

-   NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML),
    Miami FL

    -   Surface drifting buoy, Argo, ships of opportunity, ocean carbon,
        and ocean reference station operations; global data assembly
        center operations; data analysis

-   NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), Seattle WA

    -   Tropical moored buoy, Argo, ocean carbon, and ocean reference
        station operations; technology development; data analysis; data
        management; observing system research

-   NOAA Environmental Sciences Research Laboratory (ESRL), Boulder CO

    -   Ocean reference station and dedicated ship operations; data
        analysis

-   NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), Princeton NJ

    -   Data assimilation and analysis

-   University of Hawaii (UH), Joint Institute for Marine and
    Atmospheric Research (JIMAR), Honolulu HI

    -   Tide gauge station operations; global data assembly center
        operations; data analysis

-   Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), Joint Institute for
    Marine Observations (JIMO), La Jolla CA

    -   Surface drifting buoy, Argo, ships of opportunity, and ocean
        reference station operations; technology development; data
        analysis

-   Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Cooperative Institute
    for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR), Woods Hole MA

    -   Ocean reference station and ships of opportunity operations;
        technology development; data analysis

-   University of Washington (UW), Joint Institute for Study of the
    Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO), Seattle WA

    -   Argo and Arctic ocean observing system operations; data
        analysis; observing system research

-   University of Miami (UM), Cooperative Institute for Marine and
    Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), Miami FL

    -   Ocean carbon, dedicated ship operations; data analysis

-   Columbia University, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO),
    Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications Research (CICAR),
    Palisades NY

    -   Ocean reference station operations; data analysis

-   University of Alaska at Fairbanks (UAF), Cooperative Institute For
    Arctic Research (CIFAR), Fairbanks AK

    -   Arctic ocean observing system operations; data analysis

-   NOAA National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), Asheville NC

    -   Data management; observing system research; data analysis

-   NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), Silver Spring MD

    -   Data management; data analysis

-   NOAA National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), Boulder CO

    -   Data management

-   NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), Stennis MS

    -   Tropical moored buoy operations; data assembly center operations

-   NOAA Center for Operational Ocean Products and Services (CO-OPS),
    Silver Spring MD

    -   Tide gauge station operations; data management; data analysis

-   NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), Camp
    Springs MD

    -   Data assimilation; data analysis

-   Florida State University (FSU), Center for Ocean-Atmosphere
    Prediction Studies (COAPS), Tallahassee FL

    -   Data assembly center operations; data analysis

-   CLS America (CLS), Largo MD

    -   Satellite communications system operations; data processing and
        management

-   Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR), Bermuda

    -   Ocean carbon data analysis

-   NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry (LSA), Silver Spring MD

    -   Sea level data analysis

    ```{=html}
    <!-- -->
    ```
    -   NOAA Climate Observation Division, Office of Climate Observation
        (OCO), Silver Spring MD

    ```{=html}
    <!-- -->
    ```
    -   System-wide monitoring, evaluation, evolution, coordination,
        review, and reporting.

To weld these distributed efforts together into the single vision, the
Division has established the Project Office for Climate Observation
(OCO) to accomplish integrative tasks that span all subsystems. The
platform managers monitor and evaluate the performance of their
individual networks, while the project office is building the capability
to monitor and evaluate the performance of the system as a whole, and to
take action to evolve the *in situ* subsystems for overall effectiveness
and efficiency in meeting climate observation objectives. The OCO
provides a central point of contact within NOAA for coordination with
the other agencies and nations involved in global 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. The
OCO management plan is based on six tasks:

**Task 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.

**Task 2 -- Evaluation:** A team of expert scientists both internal and
external to NOAA has been established to continually evaluate the
effectiveness of the networks for production of ocean analyses and the
adequacy of the analyses (see Requirement Drivers above) for meeting the
system objectives. The job of the team of experts is to develop and
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.

**Task 3 -- Taking action to evolve the *in situ* subsystems:** System
monitoring and evaluation are 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 the levels of relative investment with interagency and international
partners. The OCO is charged with evolving the system for maximum
effectiveness and efficiency through directed funding.

**Task 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
co-located with the NOAA IOOS Program Office for Intra-agency
coordination, and is co-located with the Ocean.US national office for
coordination with the other Federal ocean agencies. One Division
employee is assigned to the JCOMM secretariat at the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission in Paris to encourage international
coordination. Additionally, the Chief of the Division serves as
Observations Program Area Coordinator for JCOMM, and many of the
sponsored project managers participate in the technical panels and
expert teams of JCOMM.

In addition to dedicated infrastructure needed for the Division to
operate its project office, 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
counties and agencies for their support. The Division has historically
provided approximately half 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 support
is essential for doing business cooperatively in coordination with many
international partners. As a central component of sustaining the
long-term global climate observing system, support for the
national/international coordination/implementation infrastructure is
being institutionalized via the OCO.

![](media/image16.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 15: Quarterly Observing System Status reports are developed and
> used by the Office of Climate Observation (OCO) to monitor progress
> and evaluate the effectiveness of the system for observing essential
> climate variables (ECVs). This example for December 2007 shows that
> 43% of the ocean is presently being observed adequately for
> measurement of sea surface temperature to the required accuracy.

**Task 5 -- Annual Report on the State of the Ocean and the Ocean
Observing System for 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 theme of the *Annual
Report* is to describe the current state of the ocean, how it compares
with the past, and how observations can be improved to better initialize
and validate models for prediction or long term projections. Prior to
2007, the authors of OCO's State-of-the-Ocean section of the *Annual
Report* were also contributing the ocean articles to the annual special
edition of the *Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society* (BAMS)
*State of the Climate* publication. In 2007, in order to eliminate the
somewhat duplicative effort by the authors, the State-of-the-Ocean
section of the OCO *Annual Report* was eliminated, noting that the BAMS
special editions provide this annual analysis instead. The OCO Report
now is simply the *Annual Report on the State of the Ocean Observing
System for Climate*. These reports are available at www.oco.noaa.gov.

![](media/image17.jpeg){width="6.059722222222222in" height="4.5375in"}

> Figure 16: Product delivery. The OCO-sponsored team of experts are the
> principal authors of the ocean chapter of the annual BAMS *State of
> the Climate* special edition.

**Task 6 -- User feedback and external review:**

**Climate Observing System Council:** The execution of the Climate
Observation Division program is 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 10 members both internal and external to NOAA
who individually offer their expert advice; the members are not expected
to develop consensus opinions. The Council meets at least annually to
bring to the Division a broad view on national and international climate
research and operational activities, and to review the status of the
system, the accomplishments, the priorities, the future plans, and the
balance of activities within the context of NOAA's overarching climate
service requirements.

**Annual System Review:** The Climate Observation Division hosts a
three-day Annual System Review meeting each year in the May time-frame
for community-wide input to program management and strategic planning.
The meeting is open to all interested stakeholders, partners, and data
users. In particular, the OCO project managers, the COSC, partner
program managers from other agencies and counties, and system users such
as NCEP, GFDL, the International Research Institute for Climate and
Society, and the U.S. CLIVAR Project Office are invited to collectively
review the state of the observing system and provide recommendations for
future direction. This annual process establishes a formal mechanism for
implementing a "user-driven" observing system and for regular review of
the system's performance in meeting the requirements of operational and
research data users, and for providing formal recommendations for system
improvement and evolution.

**4.0 Costs**

The costs for operating NOAA's contributions to the global system are
summarized in Table 11 below. In FY 2008, the annual operating cost will
be \$56.6 million. Within NOAA's present budget structure, the global
ocean observing system for climate is funded from three separate line
items:

-   OAR, Climate Research, Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes

-   OAR, Climate Research, Competitive Research Programs

-   NWS, Local Warnings and Forecasts

Table 11 shows the recent funding history and projections through FY
2009. The present funding level provides for operation of the global
system at 60% capability. NOAA provides 24% of this international
capability and other agencies and nations provide 36%. In the United
States, the other agency that provides a significant contribution to the
*in situ* system is the National Science Foundation, adding 1% for a
total U.S. contribution of 25%. The other countries provide 35%.

Funding levels in Table 11 for 2008 and 2009 are still estimates. The
funding for the global ocean observing system does not reside within a
dedicated budget line, so the actual allocations are balanced each year
against other NOAA priorities within the three budget lines listed
above.

In 2007, 55% of the funding allocated to the Climate Observation
Division was directed to cooperative institutes and university partners,
42% was directed to the NOAA laboratories and centers, and 3% was
directed to private industry. It is anticipated that a similar
distribution of funding will occur in 2008, 2009, and the out years.

![](media/image18.pct){width="5.993055555555555in"
height="2.591666666666667in"}

> Table 11: Annual operating costs for NOAA's contribution to the Global
> Ocean Observing System.

In Table 11, a line for NOAA Laboratory Infrastructure is included. This
is the basic infrastructure that is essential for supporting observing
system implementation, and is accounted by NOAA as part of the Global
Ocean Observing System budget. This cost includes rent, utilities, and
equipment at AOML and PMEL for the offices, laboratories, shops, and
warehouse facilities that support observing system implementation; it
includes the cost of operating machinery and support vehicles; and it
includes the salaries for scientists, engineers, technicians, and
administrative staff at AOML and PMEL that are not billed directly to
any single subsystem but support implementation of the system overall.

**5.0 Conclusion**

The global ocean observing system is at present 60 percent complete,
when compared to the initial design targets documented in the GCOS-92
implementation plan. These design targets have been endorsed nationally
by the CCSP and IOOS, and internationally by GOOS, GCOS, JCOMM, GEOSS,
the WCRP, the UNFCCC, and the G8. NOAA is committed to working with
national and international partners to build and sustain the global
ocean observing system for climate.

**List of Acronyms**

AOML Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

BAMS Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

BBSR Bermuda Biological Station for Research

CCSP Climate Change Science Program

CICAR Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications Research

CICOR Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research

CIFAR Cooperative Institute For Arctic Research

CIMAS Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies

CNES Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales

COAPS Center for Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction Studies

COD Climate Observation Division

CO-OPS Center for Operational Ocean Products and Services

CPO Climate Program Office

DBCP Data Buoy Cooperation Panel

DMAC Data Management and Communications

ECV Essential Climate Variable

EUMETSAT European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological
Satellites

ESRL Environmental Sciences Research Laboratory

FNMOC Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center

FRX Frequently Repeated XBT line

FSU Florida State University

G8 Group of Eight leading industrialized nations

GCOS Global Climate Observing System

GCOS-92 GCOS Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for
Climate in support of the UNFCCC

GEO Group on Earth Observations

GEOSS Global Earth Observation System of Systems

GFDL Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

GLOSS Global Sea Level Observing System

GODAE Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment

GOOS Global Ocean Observing System

HRX High Resolution XBT line

IFREMER French Research Institute for Exploration of the Sea

IOC Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

IOCCP International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project

IOOS Integrated Ocean Observing System

JCOMM Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine
Meteorology

JIMAR Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research

JIMO Joint Institute for Marine Observations

JISAO Joint Institute for Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean

LDEO Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory

LSA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry

MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NCDC National Climatic Data Center

NDBC National Data Buoy Center

NESDIS National Environmental Satellite and Data Information Service

NGDC National Geophysical Data Center

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NODC National Oceanographic Data Center

NOS National Ocean Service

NPOESS National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
System

NPP NPOESS Preparatory Project

NSF National Science Foundation

NWS National Weather Service

OAR Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

Ocean.US The National Office for Integrated and Sustained Ocean
Observations

OCO Office of Climate Observation

OSTM Ocean Surface Topography Mission

OSVW Ocean Surface Vector Winds

PMEL Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar

SeaWiFS Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor

SIO Scripps Institution of Oceanography

SOOP Ships of Opportunity Program

SOT Ship Observations Team

UAF University of Alaska at Fairbanks

UH University of Hawaii

UM University of Miami

UNESCO United National Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization

UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UNOLS University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System

UOT Upper Ocean Thermal workshop

US GEO United States Group on Earth Observations

UW University of Washington

VIIRS Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite

VOS Volunteer Observing Ships

VOSClim VOS Climate project

WCRP World Climate Research Program

WHOI Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

XBT Expendable Bathy-Thermograph