Ocean Observing and Climate
ASMOS: Assessment of the Surface Marine Observing System
User Requirements
This table gives tentative 1 σ accuracy requirements for the different fields which are the result of a literature search and limited survey of user requirements.
Adequacy maps are available for a number of the fields. These can be found for individual fields by clicking on the variable name in the table or for all the available fields by following the link below
| Variable | Horizontal Resolution | Time Resolution | Required accuracy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface wind vector | 2° x 2° | 1-2 days | 0.5 - 1.0 ms-1 | From GOOS/GCOS/CLIVAR. Application to ocean forecasting thorough NWP surface flux validation (e.g SURFA project) |
| Surface Wind speed | 500 km x 500 km | monthly | min (5%, 1 ms-1) | From OOSDP, application in climate monitoring |
| SST | 5° x 5° | weekly | 0.5 °C | For satellite SST bias removal |
| SST | global | monthly | 0.05°C | For HadSST2 |
| SST | 10km/300km | 6h/720h | 0.1°C/1°C | From GOOS large scale climate |
| Surface specific humidity | 500 km x 500 km | monthly/daily | 1% | From OOSDP, application in climate monitoring |
| Surface total turbulent heat flux | 2° x 2° | monthly | 5 Wm-2 | From GOOS/GCOS/CLIVAR and WGASF for climate modelling. Application to ocean forecasting thorough NWP surface flux validation (e.g SURFA project) |
| Surface air temperature | global | monthly | 0.05°C | For HadMAT2 |
| Surface air temperature | 500 km x 500 km | monthly/daily | 0.1°C | From OOSDP, application in climate monitoring |
| Surface pressure | 500 km x 500 km | daily | 1 hPa | From OOSDP, application in climate monitoring |
| Surface pressure | 1000 km x 1000 km | monthly | 0.1 hPa | For HadSLP |
| Cloud cover | 2° x 2° | daily | 10% | Tentative requirement for surface flux calculation |
| Cloud cover | 350 km x 350 km | < monthly | 5% | From OOSDP, application in climate monitoring |
| Precipitation | 5° x 5° | monthly | Tentative requirement | |
| Wave height | 5° x 5° | monthly | Tentative requirement |
References
GCOS, 2004: Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in support of the UNFCCC (GCOS-92), the Global Climate Observing System, October 2004, GCOS No. 92, WMO/TD No. 1219.
Observing the Oceans in the 21st Century, edited by Chester J. Koblinsky and Neville R. Smith, 2001,GODAE Project Office, Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia, 604pp.
OCEANOBS 99, proceedings of the International Conference on the Ocean Observing System for Climate, GCOS/GOOS/WCRP Ocean Observations Panel for Climate and the CLIVAR Upper Ocean Panel, Saint-Raphael, France, October 1999. [available from http://oceanobs99.cls.fr/]
The Ocean Observing System Development Panel, 1995: Scientific Design for the Common Module of the Global Ocean Observing System and the Global Climate Observing System: An Ocean Observing System for Climate. Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 265pp.
Weller, R.A. and P.K. Taylor, 1993: Surface Conditions and Air-sea Fluxes, CCC0-JSC Ocean Observing System Development Panel, 131pp, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3146, 131pp.
