PACIFIC OCEAN SITE DESCRIPTIONS
Table of Contents
Site: TRITON reference site in the western Pacific warm pool ............................................. 3
Site: TRITON super reference site in the western Pacific warm pool .................................... 6
Site: Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO) ...................................................................... 8
Site: Ocean Station Papa (and Line-P) .............................................................................. 11
Site: NOAA/PMEL Ocean Station Papa ............................................................................. 15
Site: HOT (Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA) ..................................................... 18
Site: HALE-ALOHA (H-A) mooring program ....................................................................... 24
Site and project name: JAMSTEC Kuroshio Extension Observatory (JKEO) ...................... 27
Site: TAO/TRITON moorings.............................................................................................. 32
Site: WHOTS (WHOI Hawaii Ocean Timeseries Station) ................................................... 36
Site: Stratus Ocean Reference Station ............................................................................... 38
Site: MBARI California Current Biogeochemical Moorings ................................................. 41
Site : CalCOFI ..................................................................................................................... 44
Site : CCE-1 ........................................................................................................................ 48
Site: .................................................................................................................................... 52
Version Tracking:
Creation/Update date
Updated By
August 2009
Hester Viola
September 2010
Hester Viola
1
Comments
www.oceansites.org
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Site: TRITON reference site in the western Pacific warm pool
Position: 0°N 156°E
Categories:
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Air-Sea Flux reference site (at present)
observatory: meteorology and physical (at present)
Safety distance for ship operations: 2 miles same as for TAO moorings
Short description:
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
One of the 15 TRITON sites in the western Pacific.
Variables measured :
 surface meteorological sensors: wind vector, shortwave radiation, relative humidity, air
temperature, atmospheric pressure, rain rate
 subsurface sensors:
temperature and conductivity (1.5, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500, 750m)
pressure (300m, 750m)
current vector (10m)


Sampling rate: every 10 min (except current meter of 20 min)
Start date of the timeseries, service interval: 17 March 1998, once per year
Scientific rationale:
The scientific objectives are to elucidate the processes of heat and fresh water flux in the center of
western Pacific warm water pool. It consists of ENSO monitoring TAO/TRITON array.
The buoy at this site will be used for high precision measurement of Near Sea Surface Temperature
(NSST) and SSS to validate the satellite products.
It has also been utilized for measuring partial pressure timeseries of CO2 in the water for a study of
carbon flux.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
JAMSTEC/Kentaro Ando/ Japan/ Principal Investigator
JAMSTEC/Syuich Watanabe/ Japan/ CO2
Status:
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

Operating
The site to be maintained at least until 2014 under the IORGC,JAMSTEC 5-year implementation
plan.
Funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
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Technology:
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
surface mooring
real-time telemetry
SST and SSS measurements: SBE 37-IM, Sea Bird Electronics, at 1.5 m depth on the cradle of
surface float
Data policy:

real-time data:
wind vector, relative humidity, air temperature, atmospheric pressure (on GTS and web)
temperature (1.5, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500, 750m) (on GTS and web)
shortwave radiation(to be appeared on web)
current vector (10m) (to be appeared on web)
delayed mode data: rain rate (because of large data quality variance)
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Data management:

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Satellite data collection system :ARGOS
Real-time data processing and distribution system : GTS through French ARGOS global
processing center
Metadata scheme :
The real-time raw data are received via ARGOS center.
After real-time QC, including visual inspection, hourly data of each sensor are merged as an ascii
metadata with in site by site.
When post-calibration of sensors has been done after 1-year mooring, we correct data applying
calibration result and make hourly delayed metadata.
in the future, 10-minutes metadata will be distributed via our web site.
Societal value / Users / customers:
Monitoring ocean and atmosphere changes/ meteorological institutions/ researchers
Role in the integrated global observing system: Part of ENSO observing system
Contact Person: Yoshifumi Kuroda
Links / Web-sites:


for Project information : http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec/TRITON/index.html
for data access :
The standard data from Indian TRITON buoys can be seen from TRITON home page.
http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec/TRITON/real_time/html/index.html
Choose 0,156E.
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Compiled by: Kentaro Ando (March 2009)
Photo Challenges to measure near sea surface temperature by thermister chain
at the side of surface buoy of 156E TRITON from 2007 to 2008. To prevent direct
warming by shortwarve radiation, each sensor is covered by small roof.
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Site: TRITON super reference site in the western Pacific warm pool
Position: 0°N 156°E
Categories:


Air-Sea Flux reference site (at present)
observatory: meteorology and physical (at present), biogeochemical (add the function in future)
Safety distance for ship operations: 2 miles same as for TAO moorings
Short description:


One of the 16 TRITON sites in the western Pacific.
Variables measured :
 surface meteorological sensors: wind vector, shortwave radiation, relative humidity, air
temperature, atmospheric pressure, rain rate
 subsurface sensors:
temperature and conductivity (1.5, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500, 750m)
pressure (300m, 750m)
current vector (10m)


Sampling rate: every 10 min (except current meter of 20 min)
Start date of the timeseries, service interval: 17 March 1998, once per year
Scientific rationale:
The scientific objectives are to elucidate the processes of heat and fresh water flux in the center of
western Pacific warm water pool. It is consists of ENSO monitoring TAO/TRITON array.
In future, the buoy at this site will be used for high precision measurement of SST to validate the
satellite products.
It will be also utilized for measuring partial pressure timeseries of CO2 in the water for a study of
carbon flux.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
JAMSTEC/ Kentaro Ando/ Japan/ Principal Investigator
JAMSTEC/Syuich Watanabe/ Japan/ CO2 (now being tested)
Tohoku University/ Hiroshi Kawamura/ Japan/ Varidation of high resolution satellite SST product
Status:



Operating
The site to be maintained at least until 20013 under the JAMSTEC 5-year implementation plan.
Funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
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Technology:



surface mooring
real-time telemetry
SST measurements: SBE 37-IM, Sea Bird Electronics, at 1.5 m depth on the cradle of surface float
Data policy:

real-time data:
wind vector, relative humidity, air temperature, atmospheric pressure (on GTS and web)
temperature (1.5, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500, 750m) (on GTS and web)
shortwave radiation(to be appeared on web)
current vector (10m) (to be appeared on web)
delayed mode data: rain rate (because of large data quality variance)





Data management:



Satellite data collection system :ARGOS
Real-time data processing and distribution system : GTS through French ARGOS global
processing center
Metadata scheme :
The real-time raw data are received via ARGOS center.
After real-time QC, including visual inspection, hourly data of each sensor are merged as an ascii
metadata with in site by site.
When post-calibration of sensors has been done after 1-year mooring, we correct data applying
calibration result and make hourly delayed metadata.
Societal value / Users / customers:
Monitoring ocean and atmosphere changes/ meteorological and oceanographic institutions/
researchers
Role in the integrated global observing system: Part of ENSO observing system, Part of Global
surface moored buoy arrays
Contact Person: Kentaro Ando
Links / Web-sites:


for Project information : http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec/TRITON/index.html
for data access :
The standard data from Indian TRITON buoys can be seen from TRITON home page.
http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec/TRITON/real_time/html/index.html
Choose 0,156E.
Compiled by: Kentaro Ando (April, 2009)
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Site: Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO)
Project Name: NOAA PMEL Ocean Climate Stations
Position: Nominally 32.4°N
deployment.
144.6°E
(Anchor position can vary by 10 nm depending upon
Watch-circle radius is 3nm. Please see position time series for more exact location of buoy.)
On southern side of the Kuroshio Extension, in the recirculation gyre.
Categories: Air-Sea Flux, Observatory; meteorological, physical, biogeochemical
Safety distance for ship operations: 5 nm (9 km)
Short description:
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1 surface buoy with slackline (reverse catenary) mooring
Variables measured :
Surface: wind speed and direction (from a sonic anemometer), air temperature, relative humidity,
rain, shortwave and longwave radiation, 1m sea surface temperature and salinity, barometric
pressure, air and sea surface water pCO2, and O2.
Subsurface temperature at nominal depths of 10m, 15m, 25m, 35m, 50m, 75m, 100m, 125m,
150m, 175m, 225m, 275m, 325m, 375m, 425m, 475m, 525m
Subsurface salinity at nominal depths 10m, 25m, 35m, 50m, 75m, 125m, 150m, 225m, 325m,
425m, 525m
Subsurface ocean pressure (for remapping to nominal depths) at nominal depths 100m, 175m,
275m, 375m, 475m
Ocean currents at: 5m, 15m, 35m
All physical measurements are recorded at least every 10 minutes. Biogeochemical
measurements are recorded every 3 hours.
Start date of the time series: 16th June 2004 (some measurements begin later than this)
Service interval: once per year
Scientific rationale:
As with other western boundary currents, the North Pacific's western boundary current has some of
the largest air-sea fluxes found in the entire basin. It is one of the largest sinks of carbon in the North
Pacific, has the characteristic maxima lobes of latent, sensible, and net surface heat loss, and is colocated with the Pacific storm track. The Kuroshio Extension (KE) current carries warm water at nearly
140 million cubic meters per second (140 Sv) eastward into the North Pacific. Wind driven Sverdrup
transport accounts for about a third of this transport; the other 90 Sv is due to a tight recirculation gyre
whose size varies on seasonal-decadal time scales. As cold dry air comes in contact with the warm
KE and recirculation water, heat and moisture are extracted from the surface, resulting in deep
convection (both in the atmosphere and ocean) and rainfall. Surface cooling and biological production
lower the surface water CO2 concentrations driving a net uptake. In late winter, surface water in the
KE recirculation region is subducted into the permanent thermocline, forming Subtropical Mode
Water, and sequestering carbon. Large dust clouds blowing eastward off Asia are visible in satellite
images and can be traced all the way across the Pacific. Macro- and micro-nutrients, including iron,
from the dust clouds can affect biological production and therefore may play an important role in the
North Pacific carbon cycle. The KEO surface mooring is located south of the KE jet, in the KE
recirculation gyre. The JAMSTEC Kuroshio Extension Observatory (JKEO) surface mooring is located
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in the mixed waters north of the KE front and south of the Oyashio front. Together, the KEO and
JKEO moorings provide important in situ time series for assessing air-sea flux products and for
understanding the processes affecting and resulting from the ocean-atmosphere exchanges in this
dynamic region.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
Dr. Meghan Cronin NOAA / PMEL (KEO lead)
Mr. Christian Meinig NOAA / PMEL (KEO Lead Engineer)
Dr. Christopher Sabine NOAA / PMEL (KEO Lead Carbon Scientist)
Status:
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

operating
time horizon / long-term plans: Long-term
funded
Technology:
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


Moored / autonomous sensors
real-time telemetry: Hourly surface meteorological and subsurface physical data are transmitted
via Iridium, and daily-averaged surface and spot surface data are transmitted via ARGOS. At
present, only ARGOS real time data are released. We expect the Iridium real time data to become
the primary telemetry system beginning September 2009. Carbon has daily transmissions of 3hour measurements via Iridium.
SST measurement: self-contained sensor attached to bridle at 1m below surface
Profile measurements: Sensors are attached to slackline mooring (pressure sensors should be
used to remap observations onto nominal depths).
Data policy:


real-time data: All data are public from primary telemetry system.
delayed mode data: High-resolution data will be made public within 6 months of recovery.
Data management:





Data Assembly Center (DAC): All data accessible through www.pmel.noaa.gov/keo/data.html.
Carbon data available from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC).
Satellite data collection system: Argos and Iridium (physical data), Iridium (carbon data)
Real-time data processing and distribution system: PMEL realtime processing, QA and web
distribution. Since June 2005, distribution via GTS (limited to data telemetered via Argos) as well.
WMO number 28401 reflects status as a time series reference site.
Metadata scheme: see website
Possibilities of evolution to comply with a more general JCOMM GTS scheme: in compliance
Societal value / Users / customers:
Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO) users include the research community, weather and climate
forecasting communities, and satellite and numerical weather prediction products assessments
communities.
Role in the integrated global observing system:
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The KEO mooring serves as an air-sea heat and carbon flux reference site and as an observatory for
the Kuroshio Extension region of the northwest Pacific. KEO is supported by the NOAA Office of
Climate Observations as an element of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Its carbon
observations make KEO a key element of the U.S. Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB)
program, and international Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER)
and Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere (SOLAS) programs.
Contact Person:



for information about the site or data: Meghan Cronin (Meghan.F.Cronin@noaa.gov)
for information about the carbon component: Chris Sabine (Chris.Sabine@noaa.gov)
for enquiry about possible ancillary measurements during cruises to the site:
Hiroshi Ichikawa (ichikawah@jamstec.go.jp)
Links / Web-sites:
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
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
for Project information: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/keo/
for data access: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/keo/data.html
for information on carbon system: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/moorings/
for information about the JKEO site: http://www.jamstec.go.jp/iorgc/ocorp/ktsfg/data/jkeo/
Compiled by: Meghan Cronin (February 2009)
Figure 1: KEO (square) and JKEO
(diamond) sites shown in relation to the
NCEP-2 climatological JFM latent heat
flux (shaded) and mean sea surface
height from Teague et al. (1990)
(contours). Latent heat flux contour
intervals are 20 Watts per meter
squared. Sea surface height contour
intervals are 10 centimeters. The sea
surface height contours can be
interpreted as surface geostrophic
streamlines of flow.
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Figure 2: Daily-averaged KEO surface meteorological (left column) and subsurface physical (right
column) data.
Site: Ocean Station Papa (and Line-P)
Position: 50°N 145°W
Categories:
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

physical (H. Freeland, IOS)
biogeochemical (F. Whitney, L. Miller, IOS)
biological (D. Mackas, zooplankton; university researchers, phytoplankton)
Safety distance for ship operations: no surface mooring at present, no ship concerns.
Short description:
Number of stations / moorings:
A survey line of 27 stations (Line-P) extends from the coast to Station Papa.
Moorings for gas exchange and particle fluxes are near St Papa.
Variables measured : T, S, oxygen, nutrients, DIC from surface to bottom (~4200m). Zooplankton
tows collected from 150 m to surface.
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Start date of the timeseries, service interval:
The first measurements at Station Papa began in 1949, conducted by the US Weather Service but
including mechanical BT casts. This was taken over by Canadian weatherships in 1950 and at that
time oceanographic observations ceased. Oceanography resumed in July 1952. The mechanical BT
was abandoned in July 1956 and it is at that time that the high quality oceanographic time series
begins at Station Papa itself. In 1959 sampling began along the cruise track between the Juan de
Fuca Strait and Station Papa, and at that time the Line-P observations began. The weathership
program was terminated in June 1981 but sampling has continued to the present day, typically at 3
times annually, using Canadian research vessels. An air-sea gas exchange mooring was deployed in
2002, and sediment traps in 1983, these are not presently being continued.
Scientific rationale:
Ocean Station Papa, also known as Station P, is in the Gulf of Alaska at 50°N and 145°W. Line-P is a
sequence of oceanographic stations that starts near the mouth of the Juan de Fuca Strait and
extends into the Gulf of Alaska ending at Station P.
The Line-P and Station-P programs are used to monitor the state of the ocean environment. We
complete three surveys per year typically in May/June, Aug./Sept. and Feb. of each fiscal year. The
rationale is to observe the state of the ocean including macro-nutrient distributions:
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

After the major winter storms have completed deep mixing and resupply of nutrients to the upper
ocean.
Near the peak of the spring primary production period (May/June trip).
A late summer survey to observe what happened following the summer productive period.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
The execution of Line-P surveys primarily belongs to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific
Region. However, it has also been the test bed for much detailed biological research carried out
under programs such as SUPER, JGOFS and SOLAS.
Station P is a standard monitoring location for other programs. The Japanese research cruises
conducted on the Oshoru Maru sample along 145W to Station Papa each summer. Howard Freeland
(howard.freeland@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) is the lead scientist for physical property sampling and Marie
Robert (marie.robert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) is the lead scientist for chemical property sampling. In addition,
Dave Mackas continues a zooplankton time series, Lisa Miller measures DIC.
Recently NOAA has installed a surface buoy at Ocean Station Papa, Meghan Cronin reports on this
surface buoy elsewhere in this document. Information about the NOAA buoy can be found at
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/stnP/.
Status:
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
operating
time horizon / long-term plans: continue our monitoring program at 2 or 3 times annually.
funding is not guaranteed at present, however this program is considered core to our ocean
monitoring efforts.
Technology:
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
Argo profilers deployed in region (Freeland)
SST measurement : Seabird thermosalinography and GPS
Profile measurements : Rosette sampling with SBE CTD.
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Data policy:
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
real-time data: Argo T and S data are available near real time
delayed mode data:
verified data is posted on a web site (http://www-sci.pac.dfompo.gc.ca/osap/data/linep/linepselectdata_e.htm) , and includes CTD casts and water properties
(oxygen and nutrients).
All data are publicly available.
Data management:
Data are archived annually with ISDM, Integrated Science Data Management (http://www.medssdmm.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/isdm-gdsi/index-eng.html) in Ottawa.
Societal value / Users / customers:
The sampling strategy has proven invaluable for understanding variations in the open ocean
ecosystem that ultimately feed the salmon stocks migrating from the open ocean to land. Thus major
customers are fisheries managers in Canada.
Role in the integrated global observing system:
We intend to participate by continuing Line P surveys 2 to 3 times annually and posting data on our
web site. These cruises will ensure that the NE Pacific stays populated with Argo profilers, and that
moorings (funding dependant) can continue at Station Papa.
Contact Person:


for enquiry about addition of instrumentation or sensors to the site or for possible ancillary
measurements during cruises to the site: Marie Robert (Marie.Robert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca)
for information about the site or data : Marie Robert, Line P program coordinator
(Marie.Robert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca); Joe Linguanti, data manager (Joseph.Linguanti@dfo-mpo.gc.ca)
Links / Web-sites:


for Project information : http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/osap/projects/linepdata/default_e.htm or
Marie Robert (tel 250 363-6612)
for data access :
http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/osap/data/linep/linepselectdata_e.htm
or
through
MEDS
(http://www.meds-sdmm.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/meds/Home_e.htm).
Argo data are available from http://www.argo.ucsd.edu/
Compiled/ updated by: Howard Freeland (2002) , Frank Whitney (January 2005), Howard Freeland
(2009)
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Alaska
60°N
British
Columbia
HNLC
Region
Line P
50
OSP/P26
P20
P16
P12
P4
40
160
150
140
130°W
Figure 1
Figure 2
Map of the NE Pacific Ocean showing SeaWiFS
summer chlorophyll distribution (blue is low,
orange/red is high), temperature contours
(unlabelled, decreasing to the north), the
approximate position of the High Nutrient-Low
Chlorophyll (HNLC) boundary in summer (dashed
red line) and location of the stations sampled for
water properties along Line P. Ocean Station
Papa (OSP) is also designated as station P26, the
terminal station of Line P.
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SeaWiFS chlorophyll image from July 2002,
showing the formation of mesoscale eddies off
the west coast of North America. These eddies
create patchiness in the adjacent ocean by
transporting coastal water, nutrients and
organisms westward. Their influence has been
observed at Station Papa.
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Site: NOAA/PMEL Ocean Station Papa
Project Name: NOAA PMEL Ocean Climate Stations
Position: 50N, 145W
Gulf of Alaska
Categories: Air-Sea Flux, Observatory; meteorological, physical, biogeochemical; ocean acidification
Safety distance for ship operations: 2 nm (4 km)
Short description:
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
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


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
1 surface buoy with taut-line mooring (and 1 nearby (10km away) subsurface mooring)
Variables measured (meteorological, physical, carbon):
Surface: wind speed and direction (from a sonic anemometer), air temperature, relative humidity,
rain, shortwave and longwave radiation, 1m sea surface temperature and salinity, barometric
pressure, air and sea surface water pCO2, and O2.
Subsurface temperature at nominal depths of 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m, 30m, 35m, 45m, 60m,
80m, 100m, 120m, 150m, 175m, 200m, 300m
Subsurface salinity at nominal depths 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m, 35m, 45m, 60m, 80m, 100m,
150m, 200m
Ocean currents at: 5m, 15m, 35m; upper ocean ADCP
Variables measured (ocean biogeochemical):
Ocean pH: 1m (UW)
Ocean fluorometer measurements: 4m, 26m (OSU)
Ocean gas tension device: 1m (UW)
Ocean O2: 1m (UW)
All physical measurements are recorded hourly or more frequently (most are 10 minutes or less).
Surface biogeochemical measurements are recorded every 3 hours. Subsurface biogeochemical
measurements are recorded hourly.
Start date of the time series: December 1949 – occupied by weatherships until 1981
DFO Line-P time series 1981 to present
Previous surface mooring (NOPP) was from 1997 to1999
Present mooring effort began in June 2007

Service interval: once per year, but is visited during DFO Line P Program three times per year
(Feb, June, Aug)
Scientific rationale:
Station Papa at 50°N, 145°W is one of the longest oceanographic time series in the world. From
December 1949 through December 1950, Station Papa was occupied by a U.S. Coast Guard weather
ship organized through the U.S. Weather Bureau, and from December 1950 through August 1981,
Station Papa was occupied by Canadian weather ships. Routine oceanographic measurements were
made aboard these weather ships through much of this period. After the advent of the satellite era,
the weather ship programs were discontinued, but shipboard measurements continued to be made
along Line P by the Canadian Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) in Sidney, BC. Through the years
there have been several process studies and mooring deployments located at Station Papa. The
present mooring effort places the OceanSITES time series reference site within a historic context for
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monitoring rapid and episodic as well as slow changes to the climate system.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
Dr. Meghan Cronin (NOAA PMEL): mooring lead, meteorological and physical measurements
Dr. Chris Sabine (NOAA PMEL): air-sea pCO2 flux
Dr. Steve Emerson (University of Washington): Gas Tension Devices, CTD, O 2 and pH sensor
Dr. Ricardo Letelier (OSU): fluorometers
Mr. Christian Meinig (NOAA PMEL): Lead Engineer
Status:




operating
time horizon / long-term plans: Long term (Ocean biogeochemical measurements funded through
short term research grants)
The surface mooring is funded
The subsurface ADCP mooring is unfunded and its future is uncertain.
Technology:




Moored / autonomous sensors
real-time telemetry: The mooring is equipped with three independent measurement systems with
separate telemetry pathways. Hourly surface meteorological and subsurface physical data are
transmitted via Iridium from one system, and daily-averaged surface and spot surface data are
transmitted via ARGOS from another. Of these two systems, at present, only ARGOS real time
data are released. We expect the Iridium real time data to become the primary telemetry system
sometime in 2009 or 2010. Carbon has daily transmissions of 3-hour measurements via a
separate Iridium system.
SST measurement: self-contained sensor attached to bridle at 1m below surface
Profile measurements: Sensors are attached to taut-line mooring; Acoustic Doppler Current
Profiler has been deployed on a nearby subsurface mooring (10km away).
Data policy:

real-time data: All real-time data are public from primary telemetry system.
delayed mode data: High-resolution data will be made public within 6 months of recovery.
Data management:





Data Assembly Center (DAC): All data accessible through www.pmel.noaa.gov/stnP/data.html.
Carbon data available from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC).
Satellite data collection system: Argos and Iridium (physical data), Iridium (carbon data)
Real-time data processing and distribution system: PMEL real-time processing, QA and web
distribution. GTS data limited to data telemetered via Argos. WMO number 48400 reflects status
as a time series reference site.
Metadata scheme: see website (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/stnP/)
Possibilities of evolution to comply with a more general JCOMM GTS scheme: in compliance
Societal value / Users / customers:
Ocean Station Papa users include the research community, weather and climate forecasting
communities, fisheries research, and satellite and numerical weather prediction products
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assessments communities.
Role in the integrated global observing system:
The Ocean Climate Station Papa mooring serves as an air-sea heat and carbon flux reference site
and as an observatory for the northeast subpolar gyre (Gulf of Alaska) region of the north Pacific. The
surface mooring was initiated through a National Science Foundation Carbon and Water in the Earth
System project "North Pacific Carbon Cycle" to Dr. Emerson (UW). Its continuation as an element of
the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) is supported through funding from the NOAA Office of
Climate Observations. The Ocean Climate Station mooring program works cooperatively with the
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region, Line-P Program. The Ocean Climate Station Papa
surface mooring will also act as the central mooring of the NSF Ocean Observatory Initiative global
node at station Papa. Its carbon observations make KEO a key element of the U.S. Ocean Carbon
and Biogeochemistry (OCB) program, and international Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and
Ecosystem Research (IMBER) and Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere (SOLAS) programs. Since this
is the first mooring, to our knowledge, that has long-term, high-frequency measurements of two
carbon parameters (pCO2 and pH), it is the first mooring capable of properly documenting changes in
Ocean Acidification.
Contact Person:

for enquiry about the OCS Papa data and possible enhancements to the mooring:
Meghan Cronin (Meghan.F.Cronin@noaa.gov )

for enquiry about possible ancillary measurements during cruises to the site:
Marie Robert (Marie.Robert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

for information about the carbon component: Chris Sabine (Chris.Sabine@noaa.gov)
Links / Web-sites:




for Project information : http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/stnP/
for data access : http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/stnP/data.html
for information on carbon system : http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/moorings/
for information on the Canadian DFO Line P program:
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sci/osap/projects/linepdata/default_e.htm
Compiled by: Meghan Cronin (Feb 2009)
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Site: HOT (Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA)
Position: 22.75 º N, 158 º W
Categories: Observatory, Air-Sea Flux reference site; physical, meteorological, biogeochemical
Safety distance for ship operations: Several (surface and subsurface) moorings are installed.
Coordination with Principal Investigators is strongly requested prior to any sampling in the area.
Short description:

Station ALOHA: 22°45’N, 158°W, depth = 4780 m. Several moorings installed
Variables measured :
Full suite of physical and biogeochemical measurements including temperature, salinity,
inventories and fluxes of gases, dissolved nutrients, plankton stocks and rate processes.
Samples are collected throughout the water column, with intensive sampling efforts in the upper
1000 m.
 Shipboard Measurements conducted during near-monthly cruises
 I. Continuous Measurements: Depth (Pressure), Temperature, Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen,
Fluorescence (Chloropigment), Nitrate (0-1000 m); 0-4750 m transducers on Sea-Bird CTD
package
 II. Water Column Discrete Chemical Samples:
Full ocean depth: Salinity, Oxygen, Dissolved Inorganic Carbon, Total Alkalinity, Nitrate Plus
Nitrite, Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP), Silicate, Dissolved Organic Carbon.


Upper ocean (≤1000 m)Low Level Nitrate Plus Nitrite (0-200 m), Low Level SRP (0-200 m)
Dissolved Organic Nitrogen (0-200 m), Dissolved Organic Phosphorus (0-200 m),
Particulate Carbon (0-1000 m), Particulate Nitrogen (0-1000 m), Particulate Phosphorus (0-200
m)
Particulate Silica (0-200 m)

III. Plankton Biomass Measurements:
Chlorophyll a, b and c and Pheopigments 0-175 m
HPLC-derived pigments 0-175 m
Phycoerythrin 0-175 m
Adenosine 5′-triphosphate 0-350 m
Picoplankton abundances 0-175 m
Mesozooplankton 0-175 m Net tows
Particulate carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus 0-1000 m

IV. Carbon Production and Particle Fluxes:
In situ 14C-bicarbonate assimilation primary production incubations (0-125 m)
Particulate Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Silica fluxes 150 m Free-floating particle traps

V. Currents: Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler 20-300 (800) m hull mounted, RDI #VM-150; OS75 (depending on vessel)
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
VI. Bow Intake System:
Remote temperature sensor at hull intake 8 m (for Kilo Moana; other R/Vs typically 3-5 m)
Temperature and conductivity sensors inside the thermosalinograph package
Fluorometry (Chloropigment) from intake at 8 m (for Kilo Moana; other R/Vs typically 3-5 m)
pCO2 from intake at 8 m on Kilo Moana

VII. Optical Measurements:
Incident Irradiance Surface LI-COR LI-1000 and Biospherical collector
Upwelling radiance and downwelling irradiance 0-175 m (Biospherical Profiling Reflectance
Radiometer PRR-600)
Downwelling irradiance 0-3 m Tethered Spectral Radiometer Buoy
Absorption and Beam Attenuation AC-9,
Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometry 0-250 m

VIII. Moored Instruments (documented elsewhere)
Sequencing Sediment Traps 2800, 4000 m
Surface mooring (see WHOTS)
Deep thermistor array mooring (bottom to 200m above bottom)

Start date of the timeseries, service interval: Near-monthly shipboard observations since October
1988
Scientific rationale:
The objectives and scientific rationale for HOT are truly interdisciplinary. We seek to understand the
interacting physics, chemistry and biology of the North Pacific subtropical gyre through detailed, longterm, co-located multivariate observations at Station ALOHA, within the context of the variability of the
North Pacific climate system and the subtropical gyre ecosystem.
The physical oceanographic objectives of HOT have been to: 1) document seasonal, interannual and
decadal variability and longer term trends of water masses; 2) relate water mass variations to
subtropical gyre fluctuations; 3) determine the need and methods for monitoring currents at the HOT
site; 4) develop a climatology of short term variability.
Chemistry and biology are inextricably linked in the objectives of HOT, framed within the Joint Global
Ocean Fluxes Study. Central objectives of the HOT program have been to quantify fluxes and
inventories of oceanic carbon pools, estimate the annual air-to-sea flux of carbon dioxide, and
develop an understanding of the climatology of biogeochemical rates and processes, including
microbial community structure, primary and export production, and nutrient inventories. Understand
how the seasonal and interannual variability of water masses relates to biogeochemical fluxes.
Understand the time-varying processes that control carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling in the
ocean. Relate biogeochemical fluxes to subtropical gyre fluctuations and local and remote climate
forcing of the subtropical gyre. Develop a climatology of short-term variability in chemical, and
biological processes in subtropical ocean ecosystems.
After 20 years, we have made significant progress on all of these objectives; however we now know
that decadal changes in the physical, biological, and chemical habitat are important in structuring
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ecosystem variability. The major impediments have been limited spatial and high frequency temporal
coverage to help define the frequency and spatial variability of the physical and biogeochemical
signals that we’ve observed.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
Most of the funding for HOT is provided by the US National Science Foundation, with significant
contributions from the State of Hawaii. The PIs of the “core” Hawaii Ocean Time-series are David Karl
and Roger Lukas of the University of Hawaii. Other PIs include Michael Landry (SIO), Robert Bidigare
(UH), R. Letelier (OSU), and J. Dore (U. Montana). In 2009, the project is seeking renewed support to
sustain the next 4 years of observations. If successful, the project will be lead by Matthew Church
(UH), with R. Lukas, D. Karl and R. Bidigare continuing their respective leadership roles as co-P.I.s.
Numerous ancillary projects and investigators take advantage of the core logistics, many of which
contribute to the overall objectives of HOT. Ship support is provided by the US NSF through UNOLS.
Status:



operating;An observatory framework has been established at Station ALOHA, including two
surface moorings that were deployed at the edges of the 6 nm radius circle that defines the station.
These moorings, MOSEAN and WHOTS, are documented separately.
time horizon / long-term plans: Indefinite
funding status, source of funding: A renewal proposal for funding from mid-2009 through 2013 is
now being submitted.
Technology:



moored / autonomous and ship-based sensors
near-surface SST: Remote temperature sensor at hull intake 8 m (for Kilo Moana; 3-5 m for typical
R/V)
Profile measurements: Ship-based Sea-Bird CTD continuous profiler 0-4780 m.
Data policy: delayed mode data (Hydrographic data and other cruise data) publicly available, see
links below
Data management:



data processing and distribution system: As a general rule, we post our CTD data to our web site
within one month of each cruise with preliminary quality control, and biogeochemical analyses are
quality controlled and publicly available within a year of the time of collection.
Archiving: Archiving is provided by the US National Oceanographic Data Center via P. Caldwell
(NODC Liaison, UH)
Satellite data collection system: Ocean color and spectral imaging operated by OSU including use
of SEAWIFS, MODIS, AVHRR
Societal value / Users / customers:
The primary societal value of HOT has been to significantly advance our understanding of the
interactions between climate and ecosystem dyanmics in the North Pacific subtropical gyre.
Moreover, HOT has contributed substantially to our understanding of the role of biology in driving
elemental cycling, most specifcially the carbon cycle, in this ecosystem. HOT observations of pCO2
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and pH were used in the IPCC AR-4, for example. The HOT program has set an outstanding example
for online sharing of observations and derived information. Thousands of users have downloaded our
data resulting in hundreds of publications in peer-reviewed literature sources.
Role in the integrated global observing system:
Station ALOHA observations provide a high-quality calibration point for basin-scale maps of salinity
(i.e. derived from Argo floats), as well as a suite of other variables, such as carbon inventories and
nutrients. The moored observations on-going at ALOHA comprise an air-sea flux reference point (see
WHOTS mooring). HOT provides a strong logistical and scientific framework for ocean technology
research and development, and serves as an important calibration/validation point for models of
biogeochemical-physical interactions.
Contact Person:


for enquiry about addition of instrumentation or sensors to the site or for possible ancillary
measurements during cruises to the site: Matthew Church, David M. Karl, and Roger Lukas (UH),
hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/crequest/main.html
for information about the site or data : dataman@soest.hawaii.edu
Links / Web-sites:

for Project information:
www.soest.hawaii.edu/HOT_WOCE
hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/hot.html
hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/hale-aloha
picasso.oce.orst.edu/ORSOO/hawaii

for data access:
www.soest.hawaii.edu/HOT_WOCE/ftp.html (Cruise data)
uop.whoi.edu/projects/WHOTS/whotsdata.htm (WHOTS Buoy data)
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/moorings/hot/data_158w_all.htm (HALE-ALOHA/MOSEAN
data)
http://www.opl.ucsb.edu/mosean/realtime_hi.html (HALE-ALOHA/MOSEAN Buoy data)
CO2
Compiled by: Fernando Santiago-Mandujano and Matthew Church (March 2005; updated January
2009)
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Figure 1:
Salinity variations near Station ALOHA occur over a broad range of time scales.
(a) A near-surface salinity time series combines historical bucket observations at Koko Head, Oahu,
with CTD measurements from ALOHA. The light blue line connects observations, while the red line is
a smoothing spline.
(b) Smoothed subsurface salinity observations are plotted against potential density, combining
available historical hydrographic station data (Curry, 1996; Macdonald et al., 2001) taken within a
200-km radius with annually averaged salinity profiles from HOT. Times of individual
stations are indicated by red tick marks. The long-term average depths of selected isopycnals are
indicated along the right-hand axis. The dashed yellow line indicates an apparent decrease in the
potential density of neighboring isohalines.
(c) HOT observations at ALOHA are expanded showing details of variability. The thin black line
indicates the density of the surface mixed layer.
(d) Time series of salinity averaged over potential density in the region of the salinity maximum and in
the mid-thermocline indicate systematic variations over nearly two decades. Black lines connect
cruise-averaged data, while red dots are annual averages. The blue lines are smoothing splines.
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(Figure reproduced from Lukas, R., and F. Santiago-Mandujano, 2008: Interannual to Interdecadal
Salinity Variations Observed Near Hawaii: Local and Remote Forcing by Surface Freshwater Fluxes.
Oceanography, 21, 46-55.
Figure 2:
380
Seawater pCO2
Variability in upper ocean pCO2 and pH
at Station ALOHA.
pCO2 (µatm)
MLO wet air pCO2
360
(top), Near-surface ocean pCO2 at
Station ALOHA (blue symbols) and
atmopsheric (wet-air) pCO2 measured at
the Mauna Loa Observatory.
340
320
300
8.14
8.10
8.08
seawater pH
pH (total scale, in situ)
8.12
(bottom), Near surface ocean seawater
pH (green symbols) determined at
Station ALOHA.
Seawater pH was
calculated from inorganic carbon system
measurements (DIC and total alkalinity).
8.06
88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
Year
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Site: HALE-ALOHA (H-A) mooring program
Position: 22° 45’N 158° 6’W (Nominal Position)
Categories: observatory: biogeochemical, ecological, optical, physical, meteorological,
Safety distance for ship operations: 5 nautical miles
Short description:


1 interdisciplinary autonomously sampling mooring
Variables measured : generally summarized in Figure 1 and on the OPL website
 meteorological variables (solar insolation, spectral radiation, wind speed and direction, air and
sea surface temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity), horizontal currents (uplooking
ADCP, 3m vertical bins), temperature, salinity, photosynthetic available radiation, spectral and
hyperspectral inherent and apparent optical properties (IOPs and AOPs), and chlorophyll
fluorescence
 most meteorological, physical, and optical measurements are made at intervals of about 5-15
min and discrete water sampling is done on roughly weekly intervals
 pCO2 measurements; surface ocean and atmospheric carbon measurements are made every
3 hours.
 Investigators using the H-A have also collected measurements of macro- and micronutrients
(water samplers), dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, and zooplankton using acoustic
backscatter data
 Start date of the timeseries, service interval:
The H-A mooring was operational between October 2004 and October 2007, providing nearcontinuous data between deployment and recovery periods (~6 month intervals).
Scientific rationale:
The HALE-ALOHA (H-A) program was initiated in the Fall 2004 and completed in the Fall 2007. The
H-A mooring data set captures a broad dynamic range of oceanic variability (minutes to years),
enabling quantification of high frequency and episodic phenomena and interannual ocean dynamics.
This information is complementary for other observations at the H-A/HOT/NOAA sites, for evaluation
of undersampling/aliasing effects, and for developing and testing models. Some of the highlight
results to date include studies of passages of Rossby waves, mesoscale eddies and other mesoscale
features have been used to estimate their roles in affecting new production, biogeochemical cycling,
and carbon flux to the deep ocean.
The moored pCO2 record provides assessment of short-term variability that cannot be accomplished
with shipboard measurements. These high resolution records enable integration of the short-term
variability into the longer-term records obtained from the HOT program. Moreover, this moored pCO2
record contributes to the production of regional CO 2 flux maps and is being examined as a component
of a new breed of data assimilation models that include estimates of carbon distributions and fluxes.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
Lead PI was Tommy Dickey (UCSB). Dave Karl (UH) was a co-PI since the inception of the H-A
mooring program. The H-A and/or H-A data has/have been used by about many investigators.
Christopher Sabine (NOAA/PMEL) lead the pCO2 measurement program. Charlie Eriksen of UW is
doing glider observations near the site.
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Status:



operational.
Funding support was via the National
Ocean Partnership Program
Funded for 3years.
Technology:
The H-A used autonomous sampling
sensors and systems (see Figures 1 and 2).
Meteorological and buoy position data were
telemetered in near real-time.
New technologies for sensors and data
telemetry were tested from the H-A
mooring.
Figure 1 Photograph showing the HALE-ALOHA surface buoy.
The pCO2 measurements were LiCor based infrared detection systems mounted to the surface buoy
with an equilibrator for surface water pCO2 measurements.
Data policy:


Data are available through links to the HOT program website. .
Data are freely available to the public.
Data management:

Complementary satellite data and some imagery are included on the OPL website
(www.opl.ucsb.edu).
Contact Persons:

Tommy D. Dickey or Derek Manov
[Ocean Physics Laboratory | University of California, Santa Barbara | 6487 Calle Real, Suite A |
Santa Barbara, CA 93117 | Phone: 805 893-7354 | FAX: 805 967-5704 ]

Lead for carbon measurements: Christopher Sabine, NOAA/PMEL
Links / Web-sites:


www.opl.ucsb.edu or contact Tommy Dickey
carbon info: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/moorings/hot/hot_main.htm
compiled/ updated by: Tommy Dickey (January 2005) and Christopher Sabine (March 2005);
updated and modified by Matthew Church (Feb. 2009)
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Figure 2 Mooring diagram for the HALE-ALOHA Mooring
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Site and project name: JAMSTEC Kuroshio Extension Observatory
(JKEO)
Position (coordinates):
To the north of Kuroshio Extension, ca 400 km to the east of Japan.
Nominal 38N, 146.5E (Actual Sinker Position: 38- 04.71N, 146-25.14E)
Categories:
Air-sea flux, meteorological, physical, and biogeochemical Observatory
Safety distance for ship operations:
5 miles
Short description of JKEO3 (the latest system):




Platforms in use:
A surface mooring buoy K-TRITON developed at JAMSTEC, with slack-line mooring.
Variables measured and depths of the measurements:
Surface: wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, shortwave and longwave
radiations, 1m sea surface temperature and salinity.
Subsurface temperature at nominal depths of 15m*, 20m, 50m*, 100m*, 150m*, 200m, 300m*,
600m*
(*: delayed-mode only by MicroCat)
Subsurface salinity at nominal depths of 15m*, 20m, 50m*, 100m*, 150m*, 300m*, 600m*
(*: delayed-mode only by MicroCat)
Subsurface ocean pressure at nominal depths of 15m*, 50m*, 100m*, 150m*, 200m, 300m*,
600m*
(*: delayed-mode only by MicroCat)
Surface water pCO2 together with temperature and salinity at 1m depth.
Start date of the time-series
18 February, 2007
Service interval (if mooring), sampling interval (if ship-based):
Planned to be replaced every one year
Scientific rationale: (including up to two diagrams if needed)
As the Kuroshio Extension region is the one of the largest heat flux regions in the world, the high
quality surface heat flux data there is necessary for better understanding of global climate system.
However, due to severe weather condition in winter and large spatial variability accompanied with
eddies and strong oceanic front, there is a large difference among various kinds of atmospheric
reanalysis data and satellite-based data. Using the in-situ data observed by a surface flux buoy at
JKEO-site in the mixed water region between two SST fronts associated respectively with the
Oyashio and the Kuroshio Extension together with that at KEO-site to the south of the Kuroshio
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Extension, we will develop the method estimating high quality sea surface heat flux in the Kuroshio
Extension region from the satellite remote sensing data.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved or responsible:
P.I. for Meteorological and physical elements:
Hiroshi Ichikawa, Dr., Principal Scientist,
Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction Research Team,
Ocean Climate Change Research Program,
Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC),
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
2-15 Natsushima-Cho, Yokosuka-City, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
E-mail: ichikawah@jamstec.go.jp
P.I. for CO2 measurement:
Shuichi Watanabe, Dr., Director,
Mutsu Institute for Oceanography (MIO),
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
690 Kitasekine, Sekine, Mutsu-city, Aomori 035-0022
E-mail: swata@jamstec.go.jp
Status: Operating:
The PMEL-based buoy system (JKEO1) was deployed in February 2007 under the collaboration in
research with PMEL/NOAA, and replaced in February 2008 by K-TRITON buoy system (JKEO2)
developed at JAMSTEC. JKEO2 buoy was recovered in September 2008 after severe damage
caused by fisheries activity in May 2008. In November 2008, the repaired K-TRITON buoy system
(JKEO3) was deployed and had started again the measurements and data transmission.
<Note>
Delayed-mode data of meteorological and physical elements from JKEO1 is available publicly both
in ASCII and NetCDF format file. Delayed-mode data from JKEO2 is available publicly in ASCII
format file, but under preparation in OceanSITES NetCDF format file. Near real-time data of
meteorological and physical elements from JKEO3 has been available publicly in ASCII format file,
but under preparation in OceanSITES NetCDF format file.
Technology:
Surface mooring with data telemetry
Data policy:
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Meteorological and physical elements
Data available in near real-time:
Hourly values and daily-averages of wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative
humidity, shortwave and longwave radiations, 1m sea surface temperature and salinity,
20m subsurface temperature and salinity, and 200m subsurface temperature and
pressure with spot ARGOS positions are updated daily in the web site.
Hourly values of wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, and 1m sea
surface temperature are on GTS with WMO ID: 21210.
Post-recovery data immediately available publicly:
All post-recovery data will be available publicly not immediately but within 6 months after
the recovery.
Data not wanted on the GTS:
We do not want 20m subsurface temperature and salinity and 200m subsurface
temperature on GTS because their measurment depths are not fixed due to the design of
slackline mooring system.
Biogeochemical component
Data available in near real-time:
CO2, temperature and salinity every 6 hours (4 times a day) on each other 2 days (every
3 days) will be available publicly and updated at web site every 3 days..
Post-recovery data immediately available publicly:
All post-recovery data will be available publicly not immediately but within 6 months after
the recovery.
Data management:

Data Assembly Center (DAC) chosen or suggested/desired:
Japan Oceanographic Data Center (JODC) for subsurface oceanographic data.

Real Time data management and quality control:
Meteorological and physical elements: At PMEL/NOAA for data from February 2007 to March
2008. At
IORGC/JAMSTEC for data later than February 2008 (at RIGC/JAMSTEC from April 2009).
CO2: At PMEL/NOAA for data from February 2007 to March 2008. At MIO/JAMSTEC for data later
than
February 2008.

Delayed-mode data management and quality control:
Meteorological and physical elements: At PMEL/NOAA and IORGC/JAMSTEC for data from
February
2007 to March 2008. At IORGC/JAMSTEC for data later than February 2008 (at RIGC/JAMSTEC
from April 2009).
CO2: At PMEL/NOAA for data from February 2007 to March 2008. At MIO/JAMSTEC for data later
than
February 2008.
Societal value / Users / customers:
Dr. Masami Nonaka at Frontier Research Center for Global Change (FRCGC), JAMSTEC, is
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planning to utilize the meteorological and physical data at JKEO together with numerical model
results from the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator (OFES) in the study on
the air-sea interaction in the Kuroshio Extension region.
Prof. Masahisa Kubota at Tokai University is using the data in validation of their data set named as
‘Japanese Ocean Flux data sets with Use of Remote sensing Observations 2, J-OFURO2’.
Dr. Eric Schulz at Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research is building a system at the
Australian Bureau of Meteorology to verify the Bureau’s NWP models with open-ocean air-sea
fluxes from JKEO and other moorings by uploading daily average file in OceanSITES NetCDF
format.
Contact Person:



for enquiry about addition of instruments or sensors to the site or for possible ancillary
measurements during cruises to the site:
for physical elements, Hiroshi Ichikawa (ichikawah@jamstec.go.jp)
for biogeochemical elements, Shuichi Watanabe (swata@jamstec.go.jp)
for information about the site:
Hiroshi Ichikawa (ichikawah@jamstec.go.jp)
for information about the data:
of meteorological and physical elements, Hiroshi Ichikawa (ichikawah@jamstec.go.jp)
of CO2, , Shuichi Watanabe (swata@jamstec.go.jp)
Links / Web-sites:

for Project information:
on meteorological and physical elements,
http://www.jamstec.go.jp/iorgc/ocorp/ktsfg/data/jkeo/
on CO2 measurements, http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec-e/mutu/co2/introduction/index.html

for data access:
to meteorological and physical elements,
http://www.jamstec.go.jp/iorgc/ocorp/ktsfg/data/jkeo/JKEOocean_site.htm
to CO2 data set, http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec-e/mutu/co2/data/index.html
Updated by:
Hiroshi Ichikawa, July 2009
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Figure 1 The locations of JKEO mooring site over the winter mean SST (color) and ship-based
surface latent and sensible heat flux (white contours, Jan. – March mean of COADS data in 19601997) together with mooring site of KEO operated by PMEL/NOAA.
Figure 2 Time-series of daily averages of wind speed (top panel), latent heat flux (black line in
bottom panel) and sensible heat flux (red line in bottom panel) at JKEO measured by JKEO1 from
18 February 2007 to 25 January 2008, and JKEO2 from 1 March to 27 May 2008.
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Site: TAO/TRITON moorings
Position: Four sites are instrumented on the equator at 110°W, 140°W, 170°W, 165°E.
Categories:
Observatory and air-sea flux reference site with physical, meteorological, biogeochemical
measurements.
Safety distance for ship operations: Two nautical miles. See
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/proj_over/taobuoy.html
Short description:



Four sites are instrumented on the equator at 110°W, 140°W, 170°W, 165°E. PMEL ATLAS
moorings are presently deployed at all four sites. The sites were initiated in January 1979
(110°W), April 1983 (140°W), May 1988 (170°W) and January 1986 (165°E). They are serviced at
6 month intervals by the NOAA ship Ka’imimoana and, at 110°W, by a combination of the
Ka’imimoana and NOAA Ship Ron Brown.
ATLAS moorings at the four sites routinely measure surface winds, rainfall, shortwave radiation,
long wave radiation, barometric pressure, air temperature, relative humidity, sea surface
temperature, ocean temperatures to 500 m (10 depths), sea surface salinity, ocean salinity to 120125 m (7 depths) and ocean currents at 4-5 selected depth between 10 m and 200 m. Each
ATLAS mooring is deployed next to a nearby (within about 10 km) subsurface ADCP mooring
providing hourly velocity measurements between depths of about 20-250 m with 8 m vertical
resolution. All measurements are transmitted to shore in real-time as daily averages and a few
spot hourly values. Data are also internally recorded at 10 minute intervals, except for rainfall at 1
minute intervals, short and long wave radiation at 2 minute intervals, and barometric pressure at 1
hour intervals.
Surface water and atmospheric pCO2 measurements are being made or are planned for all four
sites. The first pCO2 system was deployed at 140°W in May 2004. A second system was deployed
at 170°W in July 2005. We anticipate adding CO2 systems to 110°W and 165°E in 2009.
Scientific rationale:
In order to improve our understanding and ability to predict El Nino and La Nina, it is necessary to
quantify to the extent possible the relative magnitudes of processes affecting the evolution of SST in
the tropical Pacific on interannual time scales. The proposed time series locations span key climatic
regimes in the equatorial Pacific, namely the equatorial cold tongue (110°W, 140°W), the western
Pacific warm pool (165°E), and the transition zone between these two regimes (170°W). The two cold
tongue sites are distinctly different in their large-scale background conditions (e.g. depth of
thermocline, strength of Undercurrent, mean surface heat fluxes, background vertical mixing).
Upwelling in the equatorial Pacific leads to enhanced productivity and degassing of CO 2 across a
region ranging from the coast of South America to past the International Date Line. The vast area
affected makes this region a significant contributor to global biogeochemical cycles. The El Niño-La
Niña cycle results in significant interannual variability in CO 2 fluxes that are still not fully understood.
The pCO2 measurements in these key locations will allow a better characterization of the seasonal
and interannual variability in CO2 fluxes in this region.
The data from these sites can be used for describing new phenomena, and for diagnostic studies,
model validation and development, climate forecast initialization, and satellite validation.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
PMEL ATLAS moorings are deployed between 95°W and 165°E, JAMSTEC TRITON moorings at and
32
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west of 156°E. P.I. for the 110°W-165°E sites is Michael McPhaden. The lead P.I. for the pCO 2
systems is Christopher Sabine.
Status:



TAO/TRITON is presently supported primarily by NOAA in the U.S. and by JAMSTEC in Japan.
The array will be maintained for the foreseeable future.
PCO2 measurements are currently being made at the 125°W, 140°W, 155°W and 170°W. Systems
will be added to 110°W and 165°E in 2009 with support from NOAA’s Office of Climate
Observations.
Logistic support is provided by ships that routinely service the TAO/TRITON array.
Technology:
The basic technology used is the ATLAS mooring which measures meteorological and physical
oceanographic data to depths of 500 m (see http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/proj_over/mooring.shtml).
There are also upward looking subsurface ADCP moorings deployed nearby each of the four sites.
These moorings are equipped with 150 kHz RDI ADCPs. The pCO 2 measurements are LiCor based
infrared detection systems mounted in the surface buoy with an equilibrator for surface water pCO 2
measurements. Surface ocean and atmospheric carbon measurements are made every 3 hours.
Data policy: All data (real-time and delayed mode) are freely available without restriction.
Data management:
ATLAS data are internally recorded and transmitted from buoy to shore via Service Argos in real-time.
Service Argos places most real-time data on the Global Telecommunications System (GTS). ADCP
data are internally recorded only. Data are freely available on the World Wide Web without restriction
in near-real time (delay of one day) and in delayed mode after moorings are recovered and data are
post-processed (See http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/). Extensive metadata are available from TAO
web pages, data reports, and from the data files themselves.
The 3-hour carbon measurements are transmitted daily via Iridium and posted to the WWW. Final
calibrated data are submitted to the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center and are freely
available within 6 months of recovery.
Societal value / Users / customers:
The TAO/TRITON array has been developed for improved detection, understanding and prediction of
ENSO warm and cold events. ENSO is the most pronounced year-to-year fluctuation on the planet,
with impacts measured in the billions of dollars and thousands of lives worldwide. It is predictable
with significant skill at lead times of 6-9 months. TAO/TRITON data users include the research
community, the weather and climate forecasting communities, the climate assessments community,
policy makers, and the general public.
Role in the integrated global observing system:
TAO/TRITON is a component of the ENSO Observing System, which in turn is an initial contribution to
the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). It
is also a contribution to the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS). The existing and
planned carbon observations are a key element of the U.S. Ocean Carbon and Climate Change
Program (OCCC) as well as the international Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem
Research (IMBER) and Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere (SOLAS) programs.
33
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Contact Persons:
TAO Project Director: Michael J. McPhaden, NOAA/PMEL (michael.j.mcphaden@noaa.gov)
TAO Operations and Data: H. Paul Freitag (Paul.Freitag@noaa.gov )
Carbon contact: Christopher L. Sabine (chris.sabine@noaa.gov )
Links / Web-sites:
TAO Project information: www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/
TAO data access: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/data_deliv/deliv.html
Carbon information: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/moorings/
Compiled / updated by: Michael J. McPhaden and Christopher L. Sabine (March 2005); Revised by
Michael J. McPhaden and Christopher Sabine (January 2009)
Figure 1: An ATLAS mooring instrumented for surface flux measurements.
Figure 2: Temperatures (top) and
zonal velocities (bottom) for the
25-year period 1980-2005 at 0°,
110°W. Velocity data from ADCP
moorings are internally recorded
only, so data from late 2004
onwards are not yet available.
34
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35
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Site: WHOTS (WHOI Hawaii Ocean Timeseries Station)
Position: 22 º 45’ N, 158 º 00’ W
Categories: Air-Sea Flux reference site; meteorological, physical
Safety distance for ship operations: 5 n-mi
Short description:



Platforms: 1 surface mooring
Variables measured: Surface meteorology at 1 min; subsurface T, S at 10 min from 1-150 m
depth; U,V at 10 min from 10-120 m.
Start date, service interval: Established August 2004. Serviced annually.
Scientific rationale:
The Hawaii Ocean Timeseries (HOT) site has been occupied since 1988 as a part of the World
Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS). The HOT
program includes comprehensive, interdisciplinary upper ocean observations, but does not include
continuous surface forcing observations. Thus, the primary intent of the WHOTS mooring is to provide
long-term, high-quality air-sea fluxes as a coordinated part of the HOTS program and contribute to the
goals of observing heat, fresh water and chemical fluxes at a site representative of the oligotrophic
North Pacific Ocean.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
Drs. Robert A. Weller and Albert J. Plueddemann, Upper Ocean Processes Group, Woods Hole
Oceanographic
Institution
(WHOI),
USA
Dr. Roger Lukas, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), University of Hawaii,
USA
Status:

Operating; funded by the NOAA Office of Climate Observation and the NSF Division of Ocean
Sciences.
Technology:


Surface mooring with meteorological sensors on buoy, discrete sensors along mooring line for T,S
and discrete sensors plus ADCP for currents
Real-time telemetry of hourly meteorology and 1 m depth T,S via Argos
Data policy:



Real-time data: public, surface meteorology and 1 m T,S (hourly)
Delayed mode data: public, surface meteorology, fluxes, and subsurface data
All data withheld from GTS
Data management:
36
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



Satellite data collection system: Present, Argos; future, Iridium.
Real-time data management: Meteorological data processed and distributed in NetCDF and ASCII
by WHOI/UOP. See http://uop.whoi.edu/projects/WHOTS/whots.htm
Delayed mode data management: Delayed mode subsurface data will be made available in
standard
formats
through
the
HOT
physical
oceanography
web
site:
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/HOT_WOCE
Metadata scheme : Met data archived in NetCDF, presently working towards compliance with
OceanSITES, Cooperative Ocean/Atmosphere Research Data Service (COARDS) and Climate
and Forecast (CF) conventions for the standardization of NetCDF files, and with the emerging
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) framework data standard. Also participating in
Marine Metadata Interoperability project (http://www.marinemetadata.org ).
Societal value / Users / customers:
This project directly addresses NOAAs Program Plan for Building a Sustained Ocean Observing
System for Climate – Ocean Reference Stations, in synergy with other elements (Surface Drifting
Buoy Network, Ships of Opportunity, Argo Profiling Floats, and satellites). The WHOTS mooring also
serves as an extension of the HOT program to include detailed surface forcing information. The
WHOTS program contributes to CLIVAR program by improving understanding of surface fluxes and
SST variability in seasonal to interannual time scales.
Contact Person:

Robert Weller, WHOI
(rweller@whoi.edu, 508-289-2508), Al Plueddemann,
(aplueddemann@whoi.edu, 508-289-2789), Roger Lukas, U. Hawaii (rlukas@hawaii.edu )
WHOI
Links / Web-sites:

Project information :

Data access :
http://uop.whoi.edu/projects/WHOTS/whots.htm and
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/HOT_WOCE/intro.html
http://uop.whoi.edu/projects/WHOTS/whots.htm
Compiled by: Al Plueddemann (January 2009)
37
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Site: Stratus Ocean Reference Station
Position: 20ºS 85ºW
Categories:

Air-Sea Flux reference site. Meteorological, physical
Safety distance for ship operations: 10 nautical miles
Short description:



Platforms: One surface mooring
Variables measured:
 Surface meteorology (wind speed and direction, air temperature, sea surface temperature, sea
surface salinity, relative humidity, incoming shortwave and longwave radiation, barometric
pressure, and precipitation) measured every minute
 Temperature, salinity, velocity at fixed depths to 450 m, internally recorded at 5 to 15 minute
intervals
Start date: First deployed October 2000; serviced roughly every 12 months
Scientific rationale:
Obtain high quality surface meteorological and air-sea flux time series under the stratus cloud deck.
Use these data, which are withheld from use in initializing global atmospheric models, to examine the
performance of these models and to work with modeling centers, remote sensors, and those
developing improved air-sea flux fields to develop improved surface meteorological and air-sea flux
fields. The high quality surface mooring data identify bias and other errors in the model and satellite
fields.
Use the surface forcing data together with the records of upper ocean variability to examine
atmosphere-ocean coupling under the stratus deck, possible feedbacks between cool SSTs and the
presence of stratus, and the processes that govern evolution of SST. These processes are both local
and remote, as Rossby waves excited by coastal trapped waves which can be generated by
equatorial waves associated with ENSO appear to play a role in offshore transport of cool water.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
The Stratus Ocean Reference Station is maintained by Dr. Robert Weller and the Upper Ocean
Processes Group of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA with support
from the NOAA Climate Observation Program. Collaborative work on the annual cruises is done by
the Chilean Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA).
Status:
38
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

The site is operational.
Support is planned for the foreseeable future as one of the global array of Ocean Reference
Stations.
Technology:






Surface mooring.
Telemetry of hourly averaged surface meteorology via Service Argos.
Internally recording SST by floating SBE 39, a few cm deep; telemetered SST data comes from 1
m depth.
Oceanographic instruments are internally recording point instruments and one Doppler profiling
current meter.
NDBC surface wave package installed in buoy
Sabine/PMEL PCO2 system installed in buoy
Data policy:



Real-time data: public, surface meteorology
Delayed mode data: public, surface meteorology, fluxes, and subsurface data
All data withheld from GTS
Data management:


Satellite data collection system: Present, Argos
Data assembly center: NDBC/USA
 Real-time data: hourly surface meteorology available in near real time in ascii and NetCDF via
website (http://uop.whoi.edu/projects/Stratus/stratusdata.htm)
 Delayed mode data: Internally recorded surface meteorology, computed air-sea fluxes, and
internally recorded oceanographic variables available via website after post-deployment
calibration and quality control procedures
 Metadata scheme: data archived in NetCDF, working towards compliance with OceanSITES,
Cooperative Ocean/Atmosphere Research Data Service (COARDS) and Climate and Forecast
(CF) conventions for the standardization of NetCDF files, and with the emerging Federal
Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) framework data standard. Also participating in Marine
Metadata Interoperability project (http://www.marinemetadata.org).

Societal value / Users / customers:
Serves as a benchmark or reference station for motivating/validating improvements to numerical
weather prediction and climate models and remote sensing products and for anchoring new, more
accurate regional and global fields of air-sea fluxes. Improves understanding of air-sea coupling and
the processes that govern the evolution of SST in the stratus cloud deck region, which is of critical
importance to climate. Occupies one of the classic problem areas for atmospheric models – the
stratus deck region- and provides benchmark time series for improving/validating atmsopheric
models, for ground-truthing remotes sensing products, and for anchoring air-sea flux fields.
Links / Web-sites:


Project information : http://uop.whoi.edu/projects/Stratus/
Data access : http://uop.whoi.edu/projects/Stratus/stratusdata.htm
39
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Compiled/updated by: Robert A. Weller (February 2009)
Figure 1 (left):
Surface buoy deployed at the Stratus Ocean Reference
Station. Two redundant meteorological systems are
used
Figure 2 (bottom): Comparison of monthly values of the four components of heat flux (from top:
sensible, latent, new longwave, and net shortwave) from the buoy (IMET), models (ECMWF,
NCEP1, NCEP2), and climatologies (NCAR, SOC).
40
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Site: MBARI California Current Biogeochemical Moorings
Position:
in California Current System
M0
M1
M2
36.830
36.750
36.700
-121.900
-122.030
-122.390
Categories: Physical, meteorological (including air-sea flux) and biochemical
measurements, Air-Sea Flux Site.
Safety distance for ship operations: 2 nautical miles
Short description:


2 moorings
variables measured:
 surface winds, air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, ocean
temperature and salinity from the surface to 300 0r 500 m (11 depths), ocean current
profiles to 400 m, sea surface nitrate, delta pCO2 between atmosphere and sea
surface, surface fluorescence and backscatter, and radiance and irradiance at surface
and 10 m
 all data transmitted in real-time, reporting every 2 hours.
 M1 also has shortwave and long wave radiation sensors making this mooring fully flux
capable.
 maintained by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute since 1989
 WMO Numbers:
 MBM0 Station 46091
 MBM1 Station 46092
 MBM2 Station 46093
Scientific rationale:
Ecosystem productivity and the biogeochemical cycling of elements in the California
upwelling regions is regulated by physical processes that vary on daily to multidecadal time
scales. Concurrent measurements of physics, chemistry and biology allow an estimate of
changes in biological and chemical fluxes associated with the physical variability and for the
development of predictive models. Satellite validation and algorithm development are also a
goal.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:
41
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MBARI maintains the California Current System moorings.
Status:
MBARI, with funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, maintains moorings M1
and M2. Support from NASA has been used for bio-optical measurements.
Technology:
Instrument controllers developed at MBARI are used to collect and transmit instrument data.
Data policy:
Core data (real-time and delayed mode) are freely available without restriction. Core data
are proven physical (T,S, u, v) and meteorological (windspeed and direction, air
temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure) measurements. Experimental biological
and chemical measurements are available after quality control.
Data management:
Mooring data are internally recorded and transmitted from buoy to shore via free-wave radio
in real-time. Data and metadata are available from the MBARI Shore Side Data System
(http://ssdspub.mbari.org:8080/access/siamRawDataStep1.jsp).
Also available on NDBC GDAC in OceanSITES NetCDF format as hourly Gridded MBARI
Mooring - Sea Water Temperature and Salinity Observations
http://www.mbari.org and
http://dods.mbari.org/data/ssdsdata/deployments/previous.html
Contact Persons: Francisco Chavez (chfr@mbari.org)
Data Management: Mike McCann (mccann@mbari.org)
Links / Web-sites: http://www.mbari.org/
Compiled by: Francisco Chavez (updated August 2009, based on information provided to
the GDAC by Mike McCann)
42
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Figure 1: Time series of surface temperature (top), surface chlorophyll (middle) and thermal
structure off Monterey Bay, California.
Figure 2: Time series of surface temperature and delta pCO2 from a mooring off Monterey
1997 - 2001 Daily Averages at M1
300
18
pCO2
Temperature
200
16
43
Oct 01
Jul 01
Apr 01
Jan01
Oct 00
Jul 00
Apr 00
Jan00
Oct 99
Jul 99
Bay, California.
Apr 99
8
Jan99
-200
Oct 98
10
Jul 98
-100
Apr 98
12
Jan98
0
Oct 97
14
Jul 97
100
www.oceansites.org
Site : CalCOFI
Position (Lat , Lon) – Decimal degrees:
CalCOFI-080-055
(CalCOFI Station 080.080, Lat 33.483 N; Long 122.533 W)
CalCOFI-080-080
(CalCOFI Station 080.055, Lat 34.317 N; Long 120.802 W)
CalCOFI-090-090
(CalCOFI Station 090.090, Lat 31.751 N; Long 121.316 W)
Categories:


Site Type: Observatory
Observations types: physical, biological
Safety distance for ship operations: not applicable
Short description:



Platforms: oceanic station sampled from ship
Variables measured:*
 Hydrographic data: temperature, salinity
 Biological data: chlorophyll
* More variables to be added in near future
Start date: 1949; visited monthly to annually and since 1984 quarterly
Scientific rationale: (1 paragraph per discipline)
The California Oceanic Cooperative Fisheries Investigation (CalCOFI) is a partnership of the
California Department of Fish and Game, NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography. The partnership was formed in 1949 to study the ecological aspects of the collapse of
the sardine populations off California. Today its focus has shifted to the study of the marine
environment off the coast of California for the purpose of the ecosystem based management of living
marine resources.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible: Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, La Jolla CA,
USA – Tony Koslow, Ralf Goericke; NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla CA, USA –
Russ Vetter, Sam McClatchie.
Status:


The site is operational.
Support from NOAA is anticipated for the foreseeable future due to the importance of the program
for the management of pelagic species
Technology:

CTD casts to 500 m with rosette
44
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
Ship and shore-based data processing and distribution.
Data policy:


real-time data: CTD data upon request
delayed mode data: publically posted
Data management:


Satellite data collection system used (present, future): none
Real-time data processing and distribution system (GTS encoding & distribution? in what format?
by whom?) ? none

Metadata scheme (collection, distribution mean, format): Metadata is submitted by PI’s, stored in a
relational database and exported as text, EML and/or NetCDF.
Possibilities of evolution to comply with a more general WMO GTS scheme (incl. metadata)? With
data and metadata in relational database, export possible to match other arrangements.
Agreement to OceanSITES Data Access and Data Policy? Yes


Societal value / Users / customers:
Meteorological and hydrographic data collected by the CalCOFI program are used by the scientific
community as a benchmark for the response of the California Current System to global and basinwide climate forcing. Hydrographic and biological data collected are of critical importance for the
management of economically important species of small pelagic fish by NOAA’s fisheries service and
for the understanding of the response of these populations to changing ocean climate. Coastal
observations carried out are used by the California Department of Fish and Game for the
management of nearshore fisheries and by local governmental agencies as a conceptual framework
for the interpretation of nearshore monitoring data.
Role in the integrated global observing system:
<no formal role>
Contact Person:



for enquiry about addition of instrumentation or sensors to the site: Ralf Goericke
(rgoericke@ucsd.edu)
for possible ancillary measurements during cruises to the site: Ralf Goericke
(rgoericke@ucsd.edu)
for data exchange: Karen Baker (kbaker@ucsd.edu)
Links / Web-sites:


for Project information : www.calcofi.org
for data access (if public) : www.calcofi.org and oceaninformatics.ucsd.edu/datazoo/calcofi
DAC: NDBC
GDAC NDBC: ftp://data.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/oceansites/CALCOFI/CALCOFI1/
45
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compiled by: Ralf Goericke and Karen Baker, Jan 2010.
Fig. 1. Location of the 66 standard CalCOFI stations and the 3 OceanSites stations off Southern
California. Since 1984 the grid has been visited quarterly. Between 1949 and 1984 a larger grid was
covered initially at monthly intervals but later on at irregular intervals.
35.5
Santa Barbara
Los Angeles
77
33.5
80
San Diego
83
87
31.5
90
CalCOFI Station
OceanSites
93
29.5
-125
-123
-121
-119
-117
Fig. 2. 10 m temperature and salinity anomalies at CalCOFI3 (St 90.90). Anomalies are calculated
relative to the 1984 to 2008 time series. Data from individual cruises are plotted as open diamonds.
The solid lines are loess fits to the data and the dotted lines are the climatological mean, which in the
case of anomalies is zero.
46
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3
CalCOFI St 90.90 - 10m Temperature
Temp Anomaly (Celsius)
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
1980
1990
2000
2010
0.6
0.5
CalCOFI St 90.90 - 10m Salinity
Salinity Anomaly
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
-0.1
-0.2
-0.3
-0.4
-0.5
1950
47
1960
1970
www.oceansites.org
Site : CCE-1
Position (Lat , Lon) – Degrees / Minutes:
33deg 29min N, 122deg 32min W
Categories:

Site Type: Observatory

Observation types: physical, meteorological, biogeochemical
Safety distance for ship operations: 1.0 NM
Short description:

Number of stations / moorings: 1 station, 1 mooring

Variables measured (what depth, what sampling rate):

surface: xCO2 air, pCO2 water, saturation O2

surface: water T, S

surface: radiometer

ca. 15m: nitrate, fluorescence, turbidity, T, S, currents

ca. 30m: radiometer, T, S

ca. 150m: plankton

ca. 1000m: marine mammal acoustic recorder

NOTE: these will be different for next deployment !

Start date of the timeseries: 2008-11-10

Service interval: approx. annually

Real-time data: yes
Scientific rationale: (1 paragraph per discipline)
Establish an interdisciplinary observatory to resolve key processes in the California Current
Ecosystem. Synergy effects with existing observations in the projects CalCOFI, LTER, SCCOOS,
global oceanic CO2 observatories.
Groups / P.I.s /labs /countries involved / responsible:

lead PI: Uwe Send (SIO)

co-PIs:
48

David Demer (SIO)

John Hildebrandt (SIO)
www.oceansites.org

Todd Martz (SIO)

Mark Ohman (SIO)

Chris Sabine (NOAA/PMEL)
Status:

operating

long-term plans: yes

funding status: funded
Technology:

moored sensors

real-time telemetry

SST: yes (SeaBird SBE-37 “MicroCat” at bottom of surface buoy)

Profile measurements: T, S at a few discrete depths
Data policy:

real-time data: public

delayed-mode data: public
Data management:

Satellite data collection system used: Iridium

Real-time data processing and distribution system

GTS encoding & distribution? TBD

OceanSITES: planned

By whom? SIO, for CO2: NOAA/PMEL, final assembly: OceanSITES GDACs

Metadata scheme (collection, distribution mean, format): planned in OceanSITES format

Possibilities of evolution to comply with a more general WMO GTS scheme (incl. Metadata)?
TBD

Agreement to OceanSITES Data Access and Data Policy? yes
Societal value / Users / customers:
Role in the integrated global observing system :
Contact Person:
Uwe Send
49
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Scripps Institution of Oceanography
9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0230
La Jolla, CA 92093-0230
Email: usend@ucsd.edu
Links / Web-sites:
http://mooring.ucsd.edu/projects/cce/cce_intro.html
DAC: NDBC (inital processing by SIO)
GDAC NDBC: ftp://data.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/oceansites/
Compiled by: Matthias Lankhorst for U Send, 2009-09-11
50
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Figure 1: Schematic design and instrumentation of the mooring
51
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Site:
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