1 / 35

The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)

The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS). With additional support from. Talk Outline. Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? Who would use them? What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how?

vance-acosta
Download Presentation

The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) With additional support from

  2. Talk Outline • Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? • Who would use them? • What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how? • What is already in place, and what are the gaps? • Where are we in relation to planning and implementing the observing system, and what is next? • How would a SOOS link to other international efforts?

  3. Talk Outline • Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? • Who would use them? • What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how? • What is already in place, and what are the gaps? • Where are we in relation to planning and implementing the observing system, and what is next? • How would a SOOS link to other international efforts?

  4. Global reach of the Southern Ocean Lumpkin and Speer (2006) Critical part of the global thermohaline circulation

  5. Change in zonally-integrated ocean heat content since 1955 is largest in the southern oceans Levitus et al., 2005 Important term in global heat budget, but Southern Ocean is still undersampled compared with rest of World Ocean

  6. Ocean uptake of carbon dioxide Sabine et al., 2004 Southern Ocean a key region for uptake of anthropogenic CO2 – but is the carbon sink weakening (Le Quéré etc)?

  7. Why a SOOS (continued…) ? Krill stocks in key parts of the Southern Ocean are in steep decline… need to understand why, and the implications. (Atkinson et al., Nature, 2004)

  8. Why a SOOS (continued…) ? • Changes in Southern Ocean temperature and circulation could have strong impacts on West Antarctic ice sheet (and hence global sea level) • Nutrients exported from the Southern Ocean support 75% of oceanic primary production north of 30S (Sarmiento et al.) • The Southern Ocean includes some of the most productive and unique marine ecosystems on Earth • etc…

  9. Talk Outline • Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? • Who would use them? • What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how? • What is already in place, and what are the gaps? • Where are we in relation to planning and implementing the observing system, and what is next? • How would a SOOS link to other international efforts?

  10. Potential users of a SOOS include … • Research community • Resource managers (including CCAMLR etc) • Policy makers (when is it time to act? What are the consequences of not acting?) • IPCC • Local planners (sea-level rise) • Antarctic tourism • Shipping operations • Weather and climate forecasters • Education • Etc.

  11. Talk Outline • Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? • Who would use them? • What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how? • What is already in place, and what are the gaps? • Where are we in relation to planning and implementing the observing system, and what is next? • How would a SOOS link to other international efforts?

  12. Scope of the SOOS • Space: • circumpolar • Subtropical Front to coast / ice shelf grounding line • Time: • days to decades (longer-term proxies from ice and sediment cores are critical, but lie outside of SOOS) • Domain: • sea surface to sea floor (including bathymetry) • ocean + sea ice • include air-sea flux, not upper atmosphere • include sub-ice shelf cavity, not glacial ice itself • Feasibility/readiness: • consider READY NOW, 5-10 YEAR VISION and BY 2030 • consider both MINIMAL and IDEAL

  13. Scope of the SOOS • Discipline: • physics (ocean circulation and sea ice) • biology and ecology (microbes to whales...) • biogeochemistry • bathymetry • surface meteorology • Models: Emphasis is on sustained observations, but modelling plays a key role in • system design • interpolation and interpretation of sparse observations • demonstrating utility of SOOS (eg initialisation of climate models)

  14. Talk Outline • Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? • Who would use them? • What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how? • What is already in place, and what are the gaps? • Where are we in relation to planning and implementing the observing system, and what is next? • How would a SOOS link to other international efforts?

  15. Some examples of observing system elements already in place…

  16. Hydrography CTD/XBT/CO2 5-10 yr interval

  17. Argo http://argo.ocean.fsu.edu/

  18. Sound sources deployed in Weddell Sea to track modified Argo floats under ice

  19. Tagging of marine mammals (SEaOS etc)

  20. Near circumpolar coverage from elephant seal data … Other species can be targeted to access specific icy regions. Invaluable data for both ecological and physical sciences.

  21. Continuous Plankton Recorder Tows 1991-2008 The Survey covers>70 % of the Southern Ocean October to April Approximately40-50 tows each year >4,000 samples p.a. 5 n-mile resolution 135,000 nauticalmiles of data havebeen collected since 1991 This represents morethan 27,000 samples, 200+ taxa +environmental data Australia, Japan, NZ, Germany, UK, USA, Russia Hosie et al

  22. Above plus:- • Satellites (e.g. SeaWiFS, Cryosat) • Current meter arrays • Tide gauge network • Sediment trap moorings • Underway measurements (e.g. CO2 , Salinity…) • Sea ice thickness; snow cover; drift • Etc…. What observing system elements are already in place?

  23. Gaps in the observing system in the Southern Ocean region • Ice-covered regions still poorly sampled, despite progress • Deep ocean below depth of Argo • Ocean in ice shelf cavities • Seabed is poorly observed (e.g. benthic communities) • Non-physical measurements rarely routinely made (need other sensors for Argo etc.) • Etc.

  24. Talk Outline • Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? • Who would use them? • What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how? • What is already in place, and what are the gaps? • Where are we in relation to planning and implementing the observing system, and what is next? • How would a SOOS link to other international efforts?

  25. SOOS Timeline • August 2006: Initial scoping workshop, Hobart • October 2007: Workshop in Bremen. Planning and writing tasks assigned • July 2008: St. Petersburg progress review meeting • April 2009: Make draft SOOS planning document available to community for comment • May 2009: Comments received • June 2009: Publish report • July 2009+: Commence implementation...

  26. SOOS designed to address six key challenges • Role of Southern Ocean in global freshwater balance • Stability of Southern Ocean overturning • Stability of Antarctic ice sheet and future contribution to sea-level rise • Future of Southern Ocean carbon uptake • Future of Antarctic sea ice • Impacts of climate change on Antarctic ecosystems

  27. (*draft*)

  28. (*draft*)

  29. Strawman Southern Ocean Observing System • Initial SOOS consists of coordination/enhancement of extant elements, as discussed, including:- • Repeat full-depth hydro/tracer sections along WOCE lines • Profiling floats, open ocean and under sea ice • Sensors on marine mammals • Sea ice observations • Ocean-ice shelf interaction • Surface meteorology observations • Surface and sea-ice drifters • Ecological monitoring • …

  30. Strawman Southern Ocean Observing System • 5-10 years and 2030 vision (see planning document for details) as previous, but including: • Enhanced profiling floats with additional sensors, depth range and longevity. • Cost-effective time series stations, using data capsule technology and expendable moorings. • Supply/research ships doing routine surveys/sections on way into Antarctic bases • Network of integrated fast ice “mass balance” stations • A network of ice-capable gliders • etc

  31. Strawman Southern Ocean Observing System • SOOS coordination group to oversee the implementation of the observing system, plus:- • Relevant data archaeology • Delivery of Southern Ocean climate information • Modeling • Identification of remote sensing needs • Identification of key gaps requiring enhanced process understanding • Array design studies • Technology development requirements • …

  32. Talk Outline • Why are coherent, sustained observations of the Southern Ocean needed? • Who would use them? • What aspects of the Southern Ocean would a monitoring system address, and how? • What is already in place, and what are the gaps? • Where are we in relation to planning and implementing the observing system, and what is next? • How would a SOOS link to other international efforts?

  33. SOOS Implementation • Buy-in of international programmes of relevance to SOOS (SCAR, SCOR, GOOS, CAML, POGO, WCRP,JCOMM, GCOS...), leading environmental agencies and other key players. • Links between SOOS, research programmes and international organisations will be effected by the SOOS coordination group. • Group will also oversee coordination of field activities; development of a funding strategy; etc.

  34. More information … (www.clivar.org/organization/southern/expertgroup/SOOS.htm)

  35. A final word… “Many more voyages of discovery are also needed, especially in the vast expanses of the southern seas that remain relatively unexplored” “Troubled Waters” The Economist, Jan 3rd 2009

More Related