1. Report of the Rapporteur on Marine Observing Systems
Ninth Session of the
CBS/OPAG-IOS/ICT-IOS
April 2016
Report of the Rapporteur on Marine Observing Systems
Jon Turton (JCOMM OCG)

2. Status of marine and oceanographic observations
Summarized in document 4.3
JCOMM Observations Coordination Group (OCG) is responsible for technical coordination of the ocean observing networks
works closely with the OOPC (Ocean Observations Panel for Climate)
JCOMMOPS JCOMM in situ Observing Platform Support Centre (JCOMMOPS) provides support to the various networks

3. JCOMM network January 2016

4. Marine/ocean observing networks
JCOMM ‘owned’
Ship observations (VOS, ASAP, SOOP) under SOT
Data Buoy observations (global drifter array, tropical moored buoy array, national/coastal moored buoy networks, high latitude (Arctic/Antarctic) buoys, tsunami buoys) under DBCP
GLOSS global tide gauge network

5. Marine/ocean observing networks
‘Partner’ networks associated with JCOMM
Argo (global profiling float array)
OceanSITES network of reference fixed point sites
GO-SHIP repeat hydrography programme
Emerging ‘partner’ networks
Subsurface glider observations under the EGO (Everyone’s Gliding Observatories) network
Carbon observations under the IOCCP (International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project)

6. JCOMM OCG Work Plan
5 year work plan (2015–2020) prepared following OCG-6 in April 2015
Key timelines include:
Update of the GCOS Implementation Plan in 2016
JCOMM-5 session in October 2017
OceanObs19
Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS 2020) project

7. Requirements
Ocean chapter of the 2016 update of the GCOS Implementation Plan presently being drafted
Being written in terms of Essential Climate Variables
Need to ensure consistency with the RRR/OSCAR

8. Requirements
OCG/OOPC have developed network specification sheets for each network, capturing
Capability in terms of ‘Essential Ocean Variables’ measured
Performance metrics (with revised targets where appropriate, e.g. DBCP, allowing traffic-light (RAG) monitoring
Next steps will be to develop cross-network metrics based on each variable

9. Present status of DBCP networks
© Crown copyright Met Office

10. Revised global drifter array target
Historical target of 1,250 operating drifters (with some ambiguity whether this includes the equatorial regions or not)
New KPI of % coverage of 5x5 degree boxes (excluding marginal seas, latitudes >60N/S and any box with a death rate >20% in 30 days) including the near equatorial band (5°S – 5°N) Green>85%, Amber 70-85%, Red<70%
Plus 6 other metrics for monitoring (including number of drifters measuring surface air pressure)

11. National/coastal moored buoy networks KPI
A ‘network of networks’ operated by over 15 countries to meet various national requirements; wide variation in designs and capability
Number of national/coastal moored buoys operating and delivering real-time data to GTS Green ≥ 300, 300 > Amber  ≥ 200, Red < 200
Additional metrics looking at data availability (meteorological, oceanographic and waves) in terms of variables reported to GTS and on metadata submitted to JCOMMOPS

12. Other DBCP network targets
Similar metrics have been suggested for (i) Arctic/Antarctic buoys (higher than 60 N/S) and (ii) Global tsunami buoy network - to be endorsed by the relevant DBCP Action Groups
Global tropical moored buoy network – almost all are registered with and metrics will be addressed by OceanSITES

13. DBCP developments - HRSST
High resolution SST from drifters for improved cal/val of satellite derived SST
A small number of HRSST drifters have been deployed by some programmes
Anticipate EUMETSAT, who will take over post-launch responsibility for the Sentinel satellites, will shortly announce an ITT for an HRSST drifter pilot project

14. DBCP developments - waves
Rely on ‘high quality’ in situ measurements to provide ground truth for satellite derived wave measurements
But…

15. DBCP developments - waves
There are differences in the wave heights derived by the various satellites
And also differences in the wave heights measured from different moored buoy networks
ETWCH-DBCP Pilot Project on Wave measurement Evaluation and Test aims to coordinate inter-comparisons and develop best practice guidance
Also, potential to make wave measurements from undrogued drifters

16. Argo

17. Argo
Original core array design was for 3°x3° spacing in the ice-free (between 60° N and 60° S), deep (<2,000m) oceans – which would require around 3,000 operating floats
Presently have over 3,800 floats including higher latitudes and the marginal seas
Now looking at a global Argo array with extensions to the original core design

18. Global Argo design

19. Emerging capabilities - Argo
As well as increasing the global coverage, Argo is also looking at
Deep Argo, sampling the deep (to 4,000m depth) and abyssal (to 6,000m) oceans – several regional pilot projects underway
Bio-geochemical Argo, measuring oxygen, pH, nitrate, chlorophyll fluorescence, suspended particles and downwelling irradiance

20. WIGOS
Limited appreciation of what WIGOS is within the (mainly oceanographic) OCG community, so gave a short presentation at OCG-7
OCG members now aware that national focal points for WIGOS exist and the future use of unique WIGOS numbers for marine/ocean platforms
A key aspect will be the interfaces between WIGOS and the non-WMO partner observing systems (such as Argo and OceanSITES)

21. WIGOS data exchange issues
WIS/GTS is the telecoms infrastructure used and data can only be exchanged in agreed WMO formats, e.g. BUFR which will replace the legacy TAC
Opportunity for platform specific messages that include new variables (e.g. bio-geochemistry) and quality flags
BUFR not used by the research community who use netCDF (hence need to develop neCDF to BUFR converters)
Only NMSs have direct access to GTS, the marine/oceanographic partners within JCOMM do not
OCG is encouraging the use of ERRDAP for data integration

22. Regional WIGOS centres
Two Regional Marine Instrumentation Centres (RMICs) established
NMDIS, Tianjin, China
NDBC, Gulfport, US
RMIC-RA-IV-2 (Feb 2016, Gulfport, USA)
Recommendation to promote Quality Assurance of Real Time Ocean Data (QARTOD) best practices and standards by the US IOOS via a JCOMM Technical Report

23. Documentation – recommendations (Meldrum review)
Separate all regulatory material from guidance material in recognition that guidance material needs to be updated more easily and possibly more frequently 
Delegate all marine observation guidance documentation to the JCOMM OCG, with all essential and current material catalogued by means of two JCOMM Technical Reports, one to cover oceanographic observations the other marine meteorological observations
Within the JCOMM OCG, currently existing panels/ network groups be tasked with submitting and linking their existing best-practice documentation to the proposed JCOMM Technical Reports 

24. Recommendation
CBS to raise WMO Members’ attention to the JCOMM Observations Coordination Group’s Work Plan ( ) and the need to achieve the implementation targets and to sustain the marine meteorological and oceanographic observing systems
note that most, if not all, of the oceanographic observing systems are funded and operated by research agencies/institutes

25. Any questions?