The Ocean Observations panel for Physics and Climate (OOPC)

Mark Bourassa, Toshio Suga (OOPC co-chairs)Katy Hill (OOPC Secretariat)

Next OOPC Meeting

• 14-17th April 2015, Sendai, Japan.

• OOPC focus on progress against Work Plan.

• Parallel with GOOS Biogeochemistry

• Focus of joint discussions – Emerging issues for next GCOS IP: i.e. Ocean Acidification, De-

oxygenation

– Changes to ECVs for Carbon System, Nutrients, etc.

– Common platforms, observing system design and targets, etc.

Motivations for developing a Work Plan

• Organisational:– 2013, OOPC had new co-chairs, new secretariat, after a pause in panel

activity: needed to horizon scan and re-focus the panel

– Due to changes in GOOS, OOPC now had relationships with 2 sets of sibling observing system panels to manage (GCOS: Atmosphere, Terrestrial, GOOS: Biogeochemistry, Biology).

• Scientific– Ocean Observing System transitioning, from a phase where the main

challenge was growing the OS• Main focus of panel was on designing and reviewing implementation of

fundamental netoworks for climate.

– to a phase where the main challenge is sustaining the ocean observing system

• Need to strengthen focus on requirements for variables (as opposed to more static network design previously)

• Need to strengthen, improve, better integrate and re-evaluate the observing system.

– Need to evolve/strengthen/integrate/expand the ocean observing system through focussed evaluations and development projects.

 

Work Plan Structure 1.  Introduction

    1.1  Organization context

2. Contributing to the GOOS and GCOS Assessment Processes

2.1  Evaluating requirements for Essential Climate/Ocean Variables

  2.2  Observing element/network status and metrics

3.    Developing and assessing product and information

3.1  Development and application of Ocean Indices

3.2  Other priorities

4.  Systems based Evaluations

4.1  Developing approaches for assessing scales and accuracy requirements of observations

4.2  Tropical Pacific Observing System Workshop

    4.3  Deep Ocean Observing Strategy

4.4  Boundary Currents and Inter-basin flows

4.5  Observations for reducing uncertainties in Air Sea Flux estimates

4.6  Upper Ocean Thermal Review

4.7  Polar Seas

4.8  Regional and coastal seas

5.  Summary and priorities

 

Potential Joint activities: TOPC (and perhaps also AOPC?)

• Observing the Ice-Ocean Interface – Arctic and Antarctic are seeing rapid changes (melting ice shelves from

warmer ocean, iceberg carving, sea ice changes (arctic/antarctic), changes in ocean circulation, esp. ventilation, deep watermass formation and fate.

– Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) has published a Strategy for Observing Under the ice.

• Technology means that systematic under ice observations (and data delivery through acoustics, semi-autonomous vehicles) are feasible.

– Opportunity to connect up ice/ocean observing observing system design and coordination.

• Note from the OOPC Co-Chair, Mark Bourassa: – ‘Many of the changes in the Arctic/Antarctic are linked to changes in the

atmosphere (wind circulation, cloud cover, radiation) so there is also a good connection to AOPC. The ice concentration also changes the albedo. So this might be a good topic for all three panels, although TOPC and OOPC have a closer connection.’

Potential Joint activities: AOPC.

• Observing Air Sea Fluxes (OOPC, AOPC) – Existing reference sites on both Ocean and Land for higher quality fluxes.

– For Ocean, often calculate bulk Fluxes (e.g. OceanSITES) and calls them ‘Flux sites).

• Bulk Fluxes estimates are always going to be part of the system. But direct measurements are required to calculate them.

– Potential/need for definition of fluxes ECVs and their direct measurement (verses ‘bulk estimates’).

• Potential for Sustained Reference Sites for direct Flux measurement measurement reference sites (ala CLIMODE),

• Satellite Observations (i.e. Momentum Fluxes from Scatterometers).

Momentum Flux Met Platforms 2006-2014

Primary sensor – 3D 20 Hz sonic anemometer with motion package (Direct Covariance Flux System DCFS)

Range of Conditions -

marginal sea, tides, short fetchGulf Stream & frontsSubtropical gyre & swell

Hourly data collection for months to years

CLIMODE examplesQuikSCAT N= 560 Windsat N=335

Creation of quality-controlled satellite ocean wind stress assessment datasets – work in progress

Mission NPlatforms____________________________QuikSCAT 821 C,J,SASCAT-A 710 J,SOSCAT 847 J,SAquarius 051 S

Scatterometer – Flux Buoy Comparison Datasets

• Consistent in situ data : use of moored direct covariance momentum flux measurements and consistent data processing for motion correction and data QA/QC• Three differing locations to date and coming soon 4 global-node OOI(NSF) mooring + OOI pioneer array data: DOF and wind-wave conditions• Satellite matchups performed in consistent manner with latest version wind products, including scatterometer, radiometers and altimeters• Open data access for IOVWST

Mission NPlatforms____________________________SSM/I 4322 C,J,SAMSR-E 0910 C,JWINDSAT 1443 C,J,SAMSR-2 0530 S

Radiometer – Flux Buoy Comparison Datasets