Ocean observations

The following are considered essential ocean climate variables^[1] by the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC)^[2] that are currently feasible with current observational systems .

Ocean climate variables

Atmosphere surface

Air Temperature
Precipitation (meteorology)
evaporation
Air Pressure, sea level pressure (SLP)
Surface radiative fluxes
Surface thermodynamic fluxes
Wind speed and direction
Surface wind stress
Water vapor

Ocean surface

Sea surface temperature (SST)
Sea surface salinity (SSS)
Sea level
Sea state
Sea ice
Ocean current
Ocean color (for biological activity)
Carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2)

Ocean subsurface

Ocean observation sources

Satellite

There is a composite network of satellites that generate observations (http://ioc3.unesco.org/oopc/obs/surface_sat.php). These include:

Type	Variables observed	Responsible organizations
Infrared (IR)	SST, sea ice	CEOS, IGOS, CGMS
AMSR-class microwave	SST, wind speed, sea ice	CEOS, IGOS, CGMS
Surface vector wind (two wide-swath scatterometers desired)	surface vector wind, sea ice	CEOS, IGOS, CGMS
Ocean color	chlorophyll concentration (biomass of phytoplankton)	IOCCG
high-precision altimetry	sea-level anomaly from steady state	CEOS, IGOS, CGMS
low-precision altimetry	sea level	CEOS, IGOS, CGMS
Synthetic aperture radar	sea ice, sea state	CEOS, IGOS, CGMS

In situ

There is a composite network of in situ observations (http://ioc3.unesco.org/oopc/obs/surface_insitu.php). These include:

Type	Variables observed	Responsible organizations
Global surface drifting buoy array with 5 degree resolution (1250 total)	SST, SLP, Current (based on position change)	JCOMM Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP)
Global tropical moored buoy network (about 120 moorings)	typically SST and surface vector wind, but can also include SLP, current, air-sea flux variables	JCOMM DBCP Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel (TIP)
Volunteer Observing Ship (VOS) fleet	all feasible surface ECVs	JCOMM Ship Observations Team (SOT)
VOSClim	all feasible surface ECVs plus extensive ship metadata	JCOMM Ship Observations Team (SOT)
Global referencing mooring network (29 moorings)	all feasible surface ECVs	OceanSITES
GLOSS core sea-level network, plus regional/national networks	sea level	JCOMM GLOSS
Carbon VOS	pCO2, SST, SSS	IOCCP
Sea ice buoys	sea ice	JCOMM DBCP IABP and IPAB

Subsurface

There is a composite network of subsurface observations (http://ioc3.unesco.org/oopc/obs/subsurface.php). These include:

Type	Variables observed	Responsible organizations
Repeat XBT (Expendable bathythermograph) line network (41 lines)	Temperature	JCOMM Ship Observations Team (SOT)
Global tropical moored buoy network (~120 moorings)	Temperature, salinity, current, other feasible autonomously observable ECVs	JCOMM DBCP Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel (TIP)
Reference mooring network (29 moorings)	all autonomously observable ECVs	OceanSITES
Sustained and repeated ship-based hydrography network	All feasible ECVs, including those that depend on obtaining water samples	IOCCP, CLIVAR, other national efforts
Argo (oceanography) network	temperature, salinity, current	Argo
Critical current and transport monitoring	temperature, heat, freshwater, carbon transports, mass	CLIVAR, IOCCP, OceanSITES
Regional and global synthesis programmes	inferred currents, transports gridded fields of all ECVs	GODAE, CLIVAR, other national efforts

Accuracy of measurements

The quality of in situ measurements is non-uniform across space, time and platforms. Different platforms employ a large variety of sensors, which operate in a wide range of often hostile environments and use different measurement protocols. Occasionally, buoys are left unattended for extended periods of time, while ships may involve a certain amount of the human-related impacts in data collection and transmission.^[3] Therefore, quality control is necessary before in situ data can be further used in scientific research or other applications. This is an example of quality control and monitoring of sea surface temperatures measured by ships and buoys, the iQuam system developed at NOAA/NESDIS/STAR: http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/sod/sst/iquam, where statistics show the quality of in situ measurements of sea surface temperatures.

Historical data available

OceanSITES ^[4] manages a set of links to various sources of available ocean data, including: the Hawaiian Ocean Timeseries (HOT),^[5] the JAMSTEC Kuroshio Extension Observatory (JKEO),^[6] Line W monitoring the North Atlantic's deep western boundary current,^[7] and others.

A variety of historical data sets is available here: http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=7140

This site includes links to the ARGO Float Data, The Data Library and Archives (DLA), the Falmouth Monthly Climate Reports, Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory, the Multibeam Archive, the Seafloor Data and Observation Visualization Environment (SeaDOVE): A Web-served GIS Database of Multi-scalar Seafloor Data, Seafloor Sediments Data Collection, the Upper Ocean Mooring Data Archive, the U.S. GLOBEC Data System, U.S. JGOFS Data System, and the WHOI Ship Data-Grabber System.

There are a variety of data sets in a data library listed at Columbia University:^[8]

This library includes:

LEVITUS94 is the World Ocean Atlas as of 1994, an atlas of objectively analyzed fields of major ocean parameters at the annual, seasonal, and monthly time scales. It is superseded by WOA98.
NOAA NODC WOA98 is the World Ocean Atlas as of 1998, an atlas of objectively analyzed fields of major ocean parameters at monthly, seasonal, and annual time scales. Superseded by WOA01.
NOAA NODC WOA01 is the World Ocean Atlas 2001, an atlas of objectively analyzed fields of major ocean parameters at monthly, seasonal, and annual time scales. Replaced by WOA05.
NOAA NODC WOA05 is the World Ocean Atlas 2005, an atlas of objectively analyzed fields of major ocean parameters at monthly, seasonal, and annual time scales.

In situ observations spanning from the early 1700s to present are available from the International Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). Further information can be found here: http://icoads.noaa.gov

This data set includes observations of a number of the surface ocean and atmospheric variables from ships, moored and drifting buoys and C-MAN stations.

Future developments

Areas requiring research and development^[9]

Satellite observations with higher resolution and accuracy and more spectral bands from geostationary satellites
improved capability for ocean color observations in coastal and turbid waters
improved interpretation of sea-ice data from satellites
satellite measurement of salinity
Observing system evaluation and design, including improvements in air-sea flux parameterizations.
Improvements in ocean platforms, including increased capabilities for Argo floats
improved glider technology and mooring technology.
New development in ocean sensors and systems, including improved bio-fouling protection, autonomous water sampling systems, optical and acoustic systems, airborne variable sensors, and two-way, low-cost, low-power telecommunications.
New and improved capability to measure biogeochemical variables, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as to identify organisms.
Improved instruments, including near-surface current meters, in-water radiometers, sensors for air-sea interface variables and turbulent fluxes, and VOS sensor systems.

The future of oceanic observation systems:

Guided unmanned underwater vehicles^[10]

Organizations

GOOS (The Global Ocean Observing System)^[11]
GCOS (Global Climate Observing System)^[12]
IOOS (Integrated Ocean Observing System)^[13]
Argo^[14]^[15]
GODAE (Global Ocean Data Experiment)^[16]
OOPC (Ocean Observations Panel for Climate)^[17]
OOI (Ocean Observatories Initiative)^[18]

Notes

References

Template:Space-based meteorological observation

[1] ttp://ioc3.unesco.org/oopc/obs/ecv.php

[2] "Ocean Observations Panel for Climate".

[3] ttp://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1175%2F1520-0426(1999)016%3C0905%3AASDOTR%3E2.0.CO%3B2

[4] "OceanSITES Data Links".

[5] "The Physical Oceanography Component of Hawaii Ocean Timeseries (HOT/PO)".

[6] "JKEO Buoy".

[7] ttp://www.whoi.edu/science/PO/linew/

[8] ttp://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/

[9] ttp://ioc3.unesco.org/oopc/obs/challenges.php

[10] ttp://rucool.marine.rutgers.edu/atlantic/

[11] "The Global Ocean Observing System".

[12] "World Meteorological Organization".

[13] ttp://www.ocean.us/

[14] ttp://www.argo.net/

[15] ttp://www.argo.ucsd.edu/

[16] ttp://www.godae.org/Observing-the-ocean.html

[17] ttp://ioc3.unesco.org/oopc/

[18] ttp://www.oceanleadership.org/ocean_observing

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v t e Meteorological data and variables
General	Adiabatic processes Advection Buoyancy Lapse rate Lightning Surface solar radiation Surface weather analysis Visibility Vorticity Wind Wind shear
Condensation	Cloud Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) Fog Convective condensation level (CCL) Lifting condensation level (LCL) Precipitable water Precipitation Water vapor
Convection	Convective available potential energy (CAPE) Convective inhibition (CIN) Convective instability Convective momentum transport Conditional symmetric instability Convective temperature (T_c) Equilibrium level (EL) Free convective layer (FCL) Helicity K Index Level of free convection (LFC) Lifted index (LI) Maximum parcel level (MPL) Bulk Richardson number (BRN)
Temperature	Dew point (T_d) Dew point depression Dry-bulb temperature Equivalent temperature (T_e) Forest fire weather index Haines Index Heat index Humidex Humidity Relative humidity (RH) Mixing ratio Potential temperature (θ) Equivalent potential temperature (θ_e) Sea surface temperature (SST) Temperature anomaly Thermodynamic temperature Vapor pressure Virtual temperature Wet-bulb temperature Wet-bulb globe temperature Wet-bulb potential temperature Wind chill
Pressure	Atmospheric pressure Baroclinity Barotropicity Pressure gradient Pressure-gradient force (PGF)
Velocity	Maximum potential intensity

v t e Physical oceanography
Waves	Airy wave theory Ballantine scale Benjamin–Feir instability Boussinesq approximation Breaking wave Clapotis Cnoidal wave Cross sea Dispersion Edge wave Equatorial waves Gravity wave Green's law Infragravity wave Internal wave Iribarren number Kelvin wave Kinematic wave Longshore drift Luke's variational principle Mild-slope equation Radiation stress Rogue wave Rossby wave Rossby-gravity waves Sea state Seiche Significant wave height Soliton Stokes drift Stokes problem Stokes wave Swell Trochoidal wave Tsunami megatsunami Undertow Ursell number Wave action Wave base Wave height Wave nonlinearity Wave power Wave radar Wave setup Wave shoaling Wave turbulence Wave–current interaction Waves and shallow water one-dimensional Saint-Venant equations shallow water equations Wind fetch Wind setup Wind wave model
Circulation	Atmospheric circulation Baroclinity Boundary current Coriolis force Coriolis–Stokes force Craik–Leibovich vortex force Downwelling Eddy Ekman layer Ekman spiral Ekman transport El Niño–Southern Oscillation General circulation model Geochemical Ocean Sections Study Geostrophic current Global Ocean Data Analysis Project Gulf Stream Humboldt Current Hydrothermal circulation Langmuir circulation Longshore drift Loop Current Modular Ocean Model Ocean current Ocean dynamical thermostat Ocean dynamics Ocean gyre Overflow Princeton Ocean Model Rip current Subsurface ocean current Sverdrup balance Thermohaline circulation shutdown Upwelling Whirlpool Wind generated current World Ocean Circulation Experiment
Tides	Amphidromic point Earth tide Head of tide Internal tide Lunitidal interval Perigean spring tide Rip tide Rule of twelfths Slack tide Theory of tides Tidal bore Tidal force Tidal power Tidal race Tidal range Tidal resonance Tide gauge Tideline
Landforms	Abyssal fan Abyssal plain Atoll Bathymetric chart Carbonate platform Coastal geography Cold seep Continental margin Continental rise Continental shelf Contourite Guyot Hydrography Knoll Ocean bank Oceanic basin Oceanic plateau Oceanic trench Passive margin Seabed Seamount Submarine canyon Submarine volcano
Plate tectonics	Convergent boundary Divergent boundary Fracture zone Hydrothermal vent Marine geology Mid-ocean ridge Mohorovičić discontinuity Oceanic crust Outer trench swell Ridge push Seafloor spreading Slab pull Slab suction Slab window Subduction Transform fault Vine–Matthews–Morley hypothesis Volcanic arc
Ocean zones	Benthic Deep ocean water Deep sea Littoral Mesopelagic Oceanic Pelagic Photic Surf Swash
Sea level	Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis Global Sea Level Observing System North West Shelf Operational Oceanographic System Sea-level curve Sea level drop Sea level rise World Geodetic System
Acoustics	Deep scattering layer Ocean acoustic tomography Sofar bomb SOFAR channel Underwater acoustics
Satellites	Jason-1 OSTM/Jason-2 Jason-3
Related	Acidification Argo Benthic lander Color of water DSV Alvin Marginal sea Marine energy Marine pollution Mooring National Oceanographic Data Center Ocean Explorations Observations Reanalysis Ocean surface topography Ocean temperature Ocean thermal energy conversion Oceanography Outline of oceanography Pelagic sediment Sea surface microlayer Sea surface temperature Seawater Science On a Sphere Stratification Thermocline Underwater glider Water column World Ocean Atlas
Category Commons Oceans portal