Deployment of the moored buoy array began in late 1997, and by early May 1999 nine sites were occupied and successfully transmitting data in real-time.
Implementation is on schedule and nearly complete.
The full array of 12 moorings will be in place for one year before the field phase is scheduled to end in early 2001. The buoy array captured the development of the upper ocean thermal anomalies, and the seasonal evolution of oceanic and atmospheric variability onwhich they were superimposed. Preliminary diagnosis of the data also supports hypotheses concerning ocean-atmosphere coupling in the region. This Resource Board would initially consist of representatives from the institutions in Brazil, France and the United States that presently provide support for the array. Moreover, the Steering Group invites collaborations with other nations and institutions interested in implementing a sustained climate observing system in the tropical Atlantic.