OceanSITES: Status and Plans

M. J. McPhaden, NOAA/PMEL18 February 2006Honolulu, Hawaii

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands

1)TAO Transition2)New NOAA funding for

Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean Sites

TAO Transition, 2005-2007• Management of TAO (and PIRATA) will pass from

PMEL to NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) a laboratory within the National Weather Service

• Mandated by the Administrator of NOAA in August 2002.

• Transition over three years, 2005-2007.• Rationale:

– Make operations more cost effective– Protect against changes in personnel– Ensure continuity of the data streams

TAO Transition, 2005-2007• The transfer of TAO operations from NOAA/PMEL to

NOAA/National Data Buoy Center is in its second year of a three year scheduled transition.

• As of 1 Jan 2006, NDBC maintains the official TAO web site for data display and distribution.

• Beginning in 2007, NDBC will be responsible for all field work.

• NDBC developing an ATLAS mooring with commercial off the shelf electronics and sensors; field tests with existing ATLAS beginning in mid-2006.

• There has been no break in continuity of the data stream and the process so far has been transparent to TAO data users.

Longest Continuous Moored Time Series

in World Ocean

0°, 110°W1980-2006

FY06 Budget for NOAAClimate Observations and Services

“…[Funds] to expand the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean array… into the Indian Ocean. This expansion will enhance NOAA's capability to accurately document the state of ocean climactic conditions and improve seasonal forecasting capability.”(http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2386.htm)Other activities covered by this funding:

Upgrades for 4 TAO and 3 PIRATA moorings to ocean reference station quality. Add salinity sensors to the TAO array to improve seasonal-interannual forecasting. Provide 4 additional buoys for the PIRATA array in the hurricane-genesis region of the Atlantic Ocean for improved understanding of ocean-atmosphere interactions on hurricane development. Support the technological development of the next generation of moored buoys

Ocean Sites for Interdisciplinary

Environmental Studies (OceanSITES)

With new NOAA funding, 4 equatorial Pacific flux reference sites and 3 PIRATA flux reference sites will be upgraded. More Indian Ocean sites are planned as well.

NOAA funded flux reference sites on the equator at 110°W, 140°W, 170°W

and 165°E.PMEL will be responsible for the instrumentation on these sites although NDBC will be responsible

for overall array maintenance.

PIRATA+Extensions and Enhancements

Draft Strategy for Indian Ocean Moored Buoy

Array

Developed by the International CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean Panel

Present Status(Two flux sites established, one more

planned in 2007)