Report of the Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel to the 21th Session of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel October 17-21, 2005 Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Report of the Tropical Moored Buoy
Implementation Panel to the 21th Session of the
Data Buoy Cooperation Panel October 17-21,
2005Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Tropical Moored Arrays

• Primary Measurements Wind, AirT, RH, SST, 10
  Water Temperatures 20 m to 500 m
• Enhanced Measurements Rain, SWR, LWR, BP,
  Salinity, Currents

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Indian Ocean Moored Buoy Array
Draft Strategy for Indian Ocean Moored Buoy
Array First Session of CLIVAR/GOOS Indian Ocean
Panel
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Current ConditionsSST is somewhat warmer than
normal in western and central PacificWind is
somewhat stronger in western, weaker in central
Pacific
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Current Conditions

• Mixed layer temperatures are slightly warmer than
  normal.
• The thermocline is somewhat shallower than normal
  in central and eastern Pacific, resulting in
  cooler than normal subsurface temperatures.

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TWO-YEAR RECORD
Westerly wind bursts in 2004 caused central ocean
SST warming and Kelvin wave Induced depression
of central and eastern thermocline. Near normal
conditions in 2005.
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ENSO DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION CLIMATE PREDICTION
CENTER/NCEP October 6, 2005 
The large spread of the most recent statistical
and coupled model forecasts (weak La Niña to weak
El Niño) indicates considerable uncertainty.
However, current conditions and recent observed
trends support a continuation of ENSO-neutral
conditions for the next 3-6 months.
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TAO STATUS


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New TAO Ancillary Projects

• Equatorial Box NASA
• 8N 8S, 125W 140W
• Evaluate model predictions at sub-basin scale
• Carbon cycle components (biomass, primary
  production, particulate organic carbon, dissolved
  inorganic carbon) measured from 3 semi-annual
  mooring cruises
• Measure SSS and surface currents at all moorings
  in box
• Existing CO2 measurements from 2 equatorial
  moorings
• Moored Mixing Measurements OSU
• Develop temperature gradient microstructure
  instrument
• Prototypes deployed 2005 at 0 140W
• Dense array (30m-90m _at_6m) in 2006
• Quantify mixing rates and seasonal to interannual
  variation

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TAO Transition

• Establish TAO Data Processing and Distribution at
  NDBC Oct 2005
• Parallel Testing through Sep 2006
• PMEL continues field operations with NDBC
  participation
• Design, develop and test refreshed mooring

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PIRATA STATUS
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Indian Ocean Status

• 2001 JAMSTEC deployed 2 TRITON and 1 subsurface
  ADCP
• 2004 PMEL/NIO/NCAOR deployed 4 ATLAS and 1
  subsurface ADCP 2004 from Sagar Kanya

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Indian Ocean Status

• 1.5N adrift (on ship?), stopped transmitting Jan
  2005
• 1.5S sensors failed, stopped transmitting, on
  site, damaged May 2005.
• 0 81E Wind/SWR failed Mar 2005. On site May 2005.
  Stopped transmitting Aug 2005.
• 0 90E Transmitting good data!

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2005 GTS Enhancements

• Salinity added to GTS. (Thank you Etienne!)
• All moorings on multi-sat
• Increased duty cycle (8 ?16 hours/day)

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2005 GTS Enhancements

• Sept 2004 Observations were mainly around
  0000-0600 in western Pacific and around 1800-2400
  in eastern Pacific. Typically 2 per day.
• Sept 2005 Observations are more uniformly
  distributed throughout the day. Typically 2-3
  per day.

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2005 PIRATA Enhancements

• Near surface currents and additional salinity on
  3 moorings
• SE Extension 3 ATLAS moorings deployed by
  Brazil
• NE Extension - AOML/PMEL proposal to add 4
  moorings. Two funded and purchased in 2005.
• Future Enhancements
• Proposed SW Extension by
• South Africa (U. Capetown)

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Indian Ocean Plans

• Recover/Deploy at 4 ATLAS and 1 Subsurface ADCP
  site. Deploy additional ATLAS at 1.5N 90E.
  Sagar Kanya (Dec 2005 Feb 2006)
• Possible additional ATLAS deployed from
  Indonesian RV in 2006.
• JAMSTEC deployment of mini-TRITON in 2006
• Develop vandal resistant mooring at PMEL. Test
  PICO in Pacific.
• Possible additional ATLAS site deployed in 2007
  from French RV (Cirene Project)

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For More Informationhttp//www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/