Global Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel - Discussion and Issues

1. Discussion issues from theTropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panelfor the 4th Session of the JCOMM OCGApril 18-20, 2011Hobart, Australia

2. Global Tropical Moored Buoy Arrays A coordinated, sustained, multi-national effort to develop and implement moored buoy observing systems for climate research and forecasting throughout the global tropics. Still contributed by research agencies based on research fund A contribution to GOOS, GCOS, and GEOSS

3. Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array Moorings : Tropical moorings with surface meteorological and sub-surface oceanographic sensors measuring: Surface; wind, air temperature, relative humidity, SST and SSS on all surface moorings. Air pressure, precipitation, short wave radiation, long wave radiation on some surface moorings. Sub-surface; temperature profiles down to 500m on all surface moorings. Salinity profiles down to 120m on some surface moorings. Current velocity on some moorings. Plan Tropical Pacific Ocean: 72 moorings (all are in place) Tropical Atlantic Ocean: 18 moorings (all are in place) Tropical Indian Ocean: 46 moorings (number of site will increase to 30-32)

4. Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array Participants: TAO/TRITON: NOAA/NDBC,PMEL,JAMSTEC Now, BPPT, KORDI and IOCAS are showing interest to participate PIRATA: PMEL, NOAA/AOML, IRD, Meteo-France, INPE, DHN RAMA: PMEL, JAMSTEC, INCOIS, NIO, IRD, BPPT, DKP, FIO, ASCLME, UTAS Meetings: 1) CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean Panel 7th Session (12-16 July 2010, Perth) 2) TIP Workshop, 26 September 2010, Oban UK 3) PIRATA-16, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, 14-18 March 2011 Cruises in 2011 TAO/TRITON: NDBC 8 cruises, JAMSTEC 1 cruise PIRATA: AOML/PMEL 1 cruise, IRD 1 cruise, INPE 1 cruise RAMA: PMEL/INCOIS 3 cruises, JAMSTEC 1 cruise, NIO 1 cruise, PMEL/BPPT 2 cruises, FIO/BPPT 1 cruise, PMEL/ASCLME 1 cruise

5. Tenth Session of the Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel (TIP-10) • Purpose of meeting: • To review measurement standards for tropical moored buoy programs; • To update the status of moored buoy array developments in the tropical Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans; • To recommend actions to strengthen international cooperation TIP Workshop Oban, UK 26 September 2010

6. ATLAS

7. ATLAS TRITON Tropical Moored Buoy Systems PMEL “T-Flex” TIP-10 Purpose #1: To review standards for tropical moored buoy systems and measurements “Conehead” Mini-TRITON “ATLAS-B” NDBC “ATLAS Refresh” Chinese “ATLAS”

8. Tenth Session of the Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel (TIP-10) Outcome #1: Establish tropical moored buoy technical coordination group with Paul Freitag (PMEL) as lead coordinator Outcome #2: Array Expansion Protocols (Following PIRATA) Interested group submits proposal to “SSG” (scientific rationale, technical feasibility, system compatibility, data policy) Proposal sent out to three reviewers Proposal revised & resubmitted to “SSG” Successful projects commissioned for three year pilot phase Successful pilot leads to permanent inclusion into array IOGOOS/CLIVAR/IOP will be “SSG” for RAMA CLIVAR/POP will be “SSG” for TAO/TRITON

9. 5400 m M3 M1 M2 (10oN, 152oE) Dr. Dongchull Jeon, KORDI/Korea

10. Enhancement of measurements on buoy • Meteo-France provided barometers in 2009 to initiate and maintain surface pressure measurements at 4 existing ATLAS sites in RAMA and 1 PIRATA site. • Biogeochemical measurements are made from several TAO moorings by PMEL and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and from one TRITON site by JAMSTEC, and on several PIRATA buoys by LOCEAN and the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Kiel (IFM-GEOMAR). Some of these are OceanSITES. • The first biogeochemical instrumentation in RAMA by the University of Tasmania was placed on a mooring in May 2010. • Plans for additional measurements on other RAMA moorings are being proposed within the context of the Sustained Indian Ocean Biogeochemical and Ecosystem Research Program (SIBER). Deployment of a similar system on an ATLAS mooring in the Pacific from a NOAA ship

11. Vandalism Issue Damage to buoys and theft of instrumentation continues to be a problem, especially at sites near areas of intense fishing activity such as the eastern equatorial Pacific, the Gulf of Guinea and equatorial Indian Ocean. Some ATLAS and TRITON moorings in RAMA have been modified to inhibit vandals from boarding the buoy, but an adequate method of inhibiting vandalism upon surface met sensors has not yet been found. Iron-Mask Conehead

12. Piracy and Security Issues in Indian Ocean RAMA array Acts of piracy in the Indian basin, while primarily occurring off the Somali coast, have become more common farther offshore. To address these concerns, ASCLME arranged for a Seychelles Coast Guard escort on an October 2010 cruise while in the Seychelles EEZ. Security zones defined by Lloyds of London and by the US Coast Guard extend to other sites in the western portion of RAMA. Security measures, such as that provided by ASCLME, will have to be provided before implementation can proceed in these areas Exclusion Zone NOAA requires cruise specific security plans that address the threat of piracy to allow its personnel on board ships operating in the Exclusion Zone. Example: Seychelles Coast Guard escort of South African R/V Algoa to service 8°N, 55°E ATLAS mooring in October 2010.

13. As of March 2011 the number of RAMA sites implemented stands at 29 (63% complete). With sufficient ship time and security arrangements the number of RAMA moorings may reach 32 (70% completion of the IOP planned array) by the end of 2011.  The University of Tasmania has proposed an investigation of transports in the subtropical Southeast Indian Ocean in 2012, during which a RAMA mooring would be deployed near 25°S 97°E. RAMA Enhancement 10 cruises 7 ships 5 nations More than 180 Days

14. IndOOS Resource Forum • Established in 2009 by IOGOOS; advised by CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean Panel • Terms of Reference: • To review the requirements for the implementation of IndOOS; • To facilitate and coordinate resources that may be applied to the system, especially ship time for RAMA; • To encourage scientific and technological initiatives in the participating countries to meet the objectives of IndOOS; • To report on its activities to the Heads of the institutions providing resources.

15. PIRATA: IFM-GEOMAR: a process study in the Gulf of Guinea in May through July, 2011 to observe the onset and peak of equatorial upwelling. NOAA will enhance 2 PIRATA moorings with ADCPs during this experiment. RAMA: CINDY: a multi-national field and modeling for the initiation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). In the US DYNAMO & CINDY, Oregon State University will enhance several RAMA ATLAS moorings with ocean turbulence and other sensors. In US: a 3-year (2008-2011) process study within RAMA with the enhanced 9 subsurface ADCP moorings in the region spanning 2.5°N to 4°S and 78°E to 83°E. TAO/TRITON: CLIVAR/NPOCE: The targeted area is north-western Pacific, and to understand western boundary ocean circulation system. Two subsurface moorings in Mindanao and one mooring in Luzon strait are in place. Use of TRITON data is in the target. POSEIDON/GAIA: Korea’s domestic programs by KORDI. POSEIDON has provided one surface buoy in the north of TRITON, and GAIA will provide two more surface buoys north of TAO array. KORDI is developing its implementation plan with NOAA. CLIVAR/SPICE: The targeted area is south western Pacific, and provide several subsurface mooring systems in several straits. One TRITON buoy at 5S156E is expected to use with one of SPICE moorings for geostrophic transport. CLIVAR/ ITF Task Team: This team is trying to initiate “ITF Gateway Array” project which will aim longer term observation of ITF. The most western TRITON sites will be expected to be a part of the the ITF Gateway array. Many research activities in & around GTMBA

16. Common issues #1Interactions with Regional Activities & Issues 1) How global observing systems can contribute to regional issues? 2) What is the regional requirement to global observing system? Regional intergovernmental body, such as IOC/WESTPAC, will be a candidate. For example in the workshop report from the WESTPAC symposium in Busan last March, it is written that “in view of the great social and economic benefits the tropic moored buoy array brings about due to its importance in the monitoring and prediction of El Nina or La Nino phenomena, and possible contribution of members states in WESTPAC region to the development and maintenance of this array, the workshop further explored the possibility of establishing an WESTPAC Working Group to further deliberate on the interaction between global ocean/climate observation systems and regional requirements/impacts as well as regional collaboration and cooperation on buoy technology development in view of the role of WESTPAC as a regional intergovernmental body of IOC tasked to promote cooperation on marine scientific research and observations.”

17. Common Issue #2Commitment to research agencies for sustainable observation Almost all in-situ ocean observing systems have been developed and maintained by research agencies for which sustained funding is not guaranteed. Mechanisms to provide sustained funding need to be developed, recognizing that different countries will adopt at different approaches specific to their circumstances.