Indian Ocean Science DriversImproved description, understanding and ability to predict:

Seasonal monsoon variability

Monsoon <=> ENSO interactions

Indian Ocean Dipole (El Niño-like phenomenon in the Indian Ocean)

Intraseasonal oscillations and far field impacts (west coast US rainfall, hurricane formation, ENSO)

Warming trends since the 1970s.Indian Ocean Dipole

Efforts to develop an Indian Ocean component to the Global Ocean Observing system for climate studies are accelerating

Compelling unanswered scientific questions;

Potential societal benefits from improved prediction;

One of the most poorly sampled regions of the world ocean;

Growing investments from India (2 new ships & major buoy program planned) and Japan (new 10 year Asian Monsoon Observing Initiative);

Summit on Earth Observations (July 2003) & Global Earth Observing System (GEO) establishes an agenda for international cooperation.

Chronology of Indian Ocean Moored Buoy Array Planning Efforts

Fifth Session of the TAO Implementation Panel (TIP-5), (Joint with First Session of the CLIVAR Asian-Australian Monsoon Panel), Goa, India, 18-21 November 1996.

Observations for Climate of the Indian Ocean (SOCIO) and TIP-9, Perth, Australia, 13-17 November 2000.

First Conference of the Indian Ocean Global Ocean Observing System (IOGOOS), Grand Baie, Mauritius, 4-9 November 2002.

First Session of the CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean Panel (IOP-1), Goa, India, 18-20 February 2004.

CLIVAR/IOC Indian Ocean Panel Terms of Reference

Develop, coordinate and implement a plan for a sustained ocean observing system for the Indian Ocean to…provide ocean observations needed for climate variability research…and operational ocean applications…particularly with regard to ocean-state estimation and climate prediction.

Draft Strategy for Indian Ocean Moored Buoy Array

First Session of CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean Panel23-27 February 2004

Pune, India

ORV Sagar Kanya Cruise9 October-17 November 2004

41 Day Cruise 4 ATLAS & 1 ADCP

PMEL in collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and the National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, India.

First Data fromIndian Ocean

ATLAS Mooringat 0°, 80.5°E

Deployed22 October 2004