1. Elizabeth Kent National Oceanographic Centre (UK) for Graeme Ball Chairman, Ship Observations Team Ship Observations Team 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop, 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA.

2. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 2 Outline  Composition of the SOT.  Status of the component programs.  Objectives of the SOT.  Relationship with JCOMM & the JCOMM structure.  Working arrangements of the SOT.  Panel Chairs & meetings of the SOT.  Achievements by the SOT.  Collaboration between the SOT & SAMOS/GOSUD.  Website links.

3. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 3 Composition of the SOT  SOT consists of a group of enduring and successful data collection programs: Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) Scheme; Ship of Opportunity Programme (SOOP); Automated Shipboard Aerological Programme (ASAP).

4. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 4 Status of the VOS Scheme  VOS: Surface meteorological data from all oceans & coastal areas; Globally about 5,400 ships (March 2006), inc. 150 for VOSClim; Real-time data on the GTS (SHIP) & delayed-mode data; 220,000 real-time observations per month (January 2006); Most ships transmit their real-time data by Inmarsat C; AWS installed on 140 ships (December 2004) compared to 81 in December 2002. 35 AWS planned for installation in 2005.  VOSClim – VOS Climate Project High quality reference subset of the VOS for climate research, modelling applications & benchmarking.

5. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 5 Global VOS Observations

6. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 6 Status of the SOOP  XBT SOOP: Upper-ocean thermal profiles on repeat sampling lines; Globally about 70 ships, mostly on merchant & research ships; Real-time data on the GTS (BATHY) & delayed-mode data; 24000 profiles annually.  Multi-disciplinary underway sampling: Atm. & ocean carbon, fluorescence, pigments, temp. & salinity. Mostly on research ships, often with high-density XBT; Real-time (profile & surface) temperature & salinity on the GTS; Other parameters used and archived by the operating agency.

7. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 7 Global XBT Sampling Lines

8. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 8 Objectives of the SOT  To manage, coordinate and, wherever possible, integrate the VOS Scheme, SOOP and ASAP to support a range of well defined operational and research applications.  To liaise and coordinate with other groups involved in using volunteer ships as environmental observing platforms with a view to their participation in the SOT.  To foster greater national coordination between agencies involved in similar or related programs.

9. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 9 Relationship with JCOMM  SOT sits alongside the DBCP and the GLOSS-GE as the three Implementation Panels in the Observations Programme Area of JCOMM*.  JCOMM is the reporting and coordinating mechanism for the operational marine activities of WMO and IOC.  Formally established in 1999 through a merger of the Commission for Marine Meteorology of WMO and the Integrated Global Ocean Services System of IOC. * WMO/IOC Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology

10. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 10 JCOMM Structure

11. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 11 Working Arrangements  SOT meets every two years and incorporates plenary sessions of the VOSP, SOOPIP and ASAPP.  Most work is undertaken during the inter-sessional period by specific Task Teams that report at SOT.  Scientific guidance is provided by expert panels and bodies for climate and operational meteorology.

12. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 12 Panel Chairs in the SOT SOTGraeme BallAustralia VOSPJulie FletcherNew Zealand SOOPIPSteve CookUnited States ASAPPSarah NorthUnited Kingdom

13. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 13 Meetings of the SOT SessionDateLocationPlenary Sessions 1Mar2001Goa, India.VOSP-II, SOOPIP-IV, ASAPP-XIII 2July2003London, UK.VOSP-III, SOOPIP-V, ASAPP-XIV (with PMO-II & VOSClim-IV) 3Mar2005Brest, France.VOSP-IV, VOSClim-V, SOOPIP-VI, ASAPP-XV. 4Apr2007Rome, Italy.VOSP-V, SOOPIP-VII, ASAPP-XVI

14. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 14 Achievements by the SOT  Greater cooperation and coordination between: The VOSP, SOOPIP & ASAPP; International VOS, SOOP & ASAP operators; National agencies operating similar programs.  Liaison with other groups that use volunteer ships as observing platforms: International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project; SeaKeepers International; SAMOS/GOSUD; Ferrybox Project.

15. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 15 Achievements by the SOT  Increasing use of Port Meteorological Officers (PMOs) to find ships for sampling programs operated by other national agencies: The Master only has to deal with one familiar face; Reduced number of visitors wanting to meet with the Master.  Spreading the load to ensure that better reporting and more obliging ships are not over-tasked with sampling programs.

16. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 16 Achievements by the SOT  Greater deployment opportunities in support of global drifting buoy and profiling float programs.  Improved channels of communications between VOS & PMO Focal Points.  Greater involvement in PMO training and in defining the role, responsibility & functions of the PMO.  Lead role in defining the VOS metadata requirements.

17. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 17 Achievements by the SOT  Revised Terms of Reference for JCOMMOPS were approved at JCOMM-II (Halifax, September 2005) to increase the level of support to the SOT.  Raising awareness of the need for: Comprehensive observer training and re-training; Equipment standards leading to data quality assurance; Regular instrument calibration checks or replacement; Robust data processing and reporting methods; Data quality control and quality monitoring.

18. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 18 Achievements by the SOT  Enhanced VOS monitoring tools: Timeliness of receipt of observations (UKMO); Multi-recruitment (Météo France); Data quality monitoring (UKMO).  Integration opportunities provided by the Task Team on VOS Recruitment and Programme Promotion: Design Guidelines for shipbuilders; SOT Certificate of Appreciation; SOT flyer; Ship recruitment presentation.

19. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 19 Achievements by the SOT  Catalogue of national barometer & barograph types, their default pressure settings & inspection regimes by the Task Team on Instrument Standards, to assist ship inspections outside the country of recruitment.  Preliminary catalogue of available meteorological instruments and their conformance to WMO standards by the Task Team on Instrument Standards.

20. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 20 Achievements by the SOT  Ship security: Raised at SOT-III (Brest, March 2005) with a recommendation to WMO to stop BBXX getting into the public domain; Discussed at WMO EC-57 (Geneva, June-July 2005), but the extent of the problem was probably not fully appreciated; Raised at JCOMM-II (Halifax, September 2005) with a strong statement of support from JCOMM; Recommendation from PMO-III (Hamburg, March 2006) that at EC-58 (Geneva, June 2006), WMO recommends that NMS reclassify the BBXX from essential data to additional data. If the recommendation at EC-58 is supported by all countries (AU and US have indicated support), this will stop websites from displaying ship positions based on their BBXX.

21. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 21 Potential Collaboration  Promoting standards: Instrument/sensor accuracy & resolution; Ship or platform inspection regime; Instrument/sensor performance checks Sensor traceability to national/international standards; Observing methods; Observer/operator training; Real-time data delivery; Quality monitoring of real time data & strategies to expediently resolve problems or errors; Quality control procedures for delayed-mode data; Data submission to GDAC or GCC.

22. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 22 Potential Collaboration  Metadata: Ship or platform particulars; Instrument types and make; Instrument exposure; Observing program; Instrument/sensor calibration.

23. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 23 Website Links JCOMMwww.wmo.ch/web/aom/marprog/ SOTwww.jcommops.org/sot/ VOSwww.bom.gov.au/jcomm/vos/ SOOPwww.ifremer.fr/ird/soopip/ JCOMMOPSwww.jcommops.org

24. 1 st Joint SAMOS/GOSUD Workshop 2-4 May 2006, Boulder, CO, USA. 24