Landry Bernard

Refreshed Data System for Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Buoy Array

The tropical atmosphere ocean/triangle trans-ocean buoy network (TAO/TRITON) moored buoy array is a central component of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Observing System to support research and forecasting of El Nino and La Nina. The present composition of TAO/TRITON consists of 55 TAO legacy ATLAS moorings developed by NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and maintained by NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), 12 TRITON moorings maintained by Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and 5 subsurface acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) moorings (4 maintained by NDBC and 1 by JAMSTEC). During the transition of the TAO array from PMEL to NDBC, it was decided to refresh the TAO system by replacing the obsolete components to ensure ongoing continuity of the TAO array. The major refreshed components include the data logger, underwater conductivity/temperature (CT) sensors, and the compass for measurement of wind direction. Meanwhile, to increase the transmission frequency and transmitted data volume, NDBC decided to use the Iridium communication system for the refreshed TAO system so that high temporal resolution data could be transmitted to NDBC each hour in near real-time. Accordingly, the shore-side data system for data ingest, processing, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), and display were modified and enhanced. Thus, NDBC decided to redesign the data system for the TAO buoy system. This refreshed data system will work with both the legacy TAO buoy system (via Argos) and the refreshed TAO buoy system (via Iridium). This paper presents the refreshed IT architecture and design for both the legacy and refreshed TAO buoy systems. Details of NDBC data management services, which include data acquisition, data quality control, data storage and retrieval functionality, metadata management, and user interfaces for distribution to the public, will be discussed.

A compact wave and ocean data buoy system

A compact wave and ocean data buoy system, called the COLOS buoy system, was recently designed and tested by the NOAAs National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) to support its expanding networks and ocean measurement capabilities. The buoy system (including buoy hull, bridle, mast, frame structure, data acquisition system, power, communications, and measurements) are described and discussed in this paper. Some results from the first field test are also presented

DESIGNING THE DATA AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE U.S. INTEGRATED OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM

Central to the vision of a U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is a data management infrastructure that joins Federal, regional, state, municipal, academic, and commercial partners in a seamless data-sharing framework. The Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystem of IOOS must be capable of integrating the full spectrum of marine data types and products. DMAC Subsystem design is made especially difficult by 3 competing factors: 1) data types to be integrated are heterogenous and have complex structure; 2) the holdings are physically distributed, with some individual partners contributing petabytes; and 3) IOOS is a loose federation of many organizations of all sizes without a corporate management hierarchy. Designing the DMAC Subsystem goes beyond solving problems of software engineering; the most demanding aspects of the solution lie in community behavior. A plan for the subsystem is described.

IOOS wave observations, a national perspective

The 2009 National Operational Wave Observation Plan is being updated in 2012 to reflect the present state of the wave observation network and revised to better define priority placements and upgrades, and to identify the stations with the longest data records. The revised plan, which is based on the existing 200 locations, defines a perimeter Backbone network of observing sites and proposes adding 47 new locations and upgrading the directional wave measurement of 87 stations. 10 Rover Buoys are recommended to be used with one year deployments to evaluate regional wave models so that they can be used as virtual wave gauges. The plan also identifies 60 of the existing US backbone locations with record lengths of 20 years or longer (the longest record is 38 years). These Sentinel Stations are critical to understanding climatic changes to the Nations wave conditions. In this paper, we review the status of the nations wave observation network, present a number of proposed changes and describe a process using wave models and short-term wave sensor deployments to optimize the wave observations in a particular region.

Internal wave signatures in the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean array from paired moorings

In order to replace obsolescent sensors in the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) array and comply with the Ten Climate Principles, twenty-nine TAO Refresh buoys were deployed near paired TAO Legacy buoys for approximately one year each. At the end of each deployment, a statistical comparison of the daily averaged data was conducted for each pair of sensors. The results are summarized elsewhere. The subsurface ocean temperature sensor comparisons provided some unexpected results. While the average ocean temperature differences within the mixed-layer and at depth were nearly identical, average temperature differences in the thermocline were higher than expected and not within the statistical accuracy of the sensors. A comparison of the variability of the paired ocean temperature sensors and the amount of drift that occurred during each deployment led to the conclusion that the TAO Refresh sensors were reporting the same oceanographic phenomena as the TAO Legacy sensors. Closer examination of the high resolution (10-minute interval) ocean temperature data within the thermocline exhibited internal wavelike signatures. At some locations within the water column, the temperature at a single depth changes 10 Kelvins over a period of 10 minutes. Although this is an extreme example, it indicates the difficulty in comparing the data from sensors on moorings which were generally less than 5 kilometers apart. The internal wavelike signatures range from small to greater than 100 meter amplitudes. Attempts to apply a phase shift to the data to compensate for the movement of these features were unsuccessful, suggesting that the internal wave signatures were arriving from different directions at various times. These phenomena are prevalent throughout the TAO array.

Results of the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) Commissioning Process on the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) technology refreshed system

The Tropical Atmosphere Ocean/Triangle Trans-Ocean Buoy Network (TAO/TRITON) moored buoy array is a central component of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Observing System to support research and forecasting of El Nino and La Nina. During the transition of the TAO array from Research to Operations, it was decided to refresh the TAO system by replacing the obsolescent components to ensure ongoing continuity of the TAO array. The major refreshed components include the data logger, subsurface conductivity/temperature (CT) sensors, and the compass for measurement of wind direction. Meanwhile, to increase the transmission frequency and transmitted data volume, NDBC determined that the Iridium communication system was ideal for the refreshed TAO system so that high temporal resolution data could be transmitted to NDBC each hour in near real-time. Accordingly, the shore-side data system for data ingest, processing, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), and display were modified and enhanced. To ensure the continuity and supportability of long-term ocean climate data, the TAO operations and refresh efforts follow the ten Climate Principles. NDBC designed, fabricated, integrated, and deployed several refreshed TAO buoy system to ensure sustained and smooth operations of the TAO array. To make sure that the refreshed TAO system can provide equal or better data quality from the refreshed TAO buoy system, various lab and field tests were conducted so far: (1) A lab test was conducted at NDBC by comparing the existing TAO and the refreshed TAO systems; (2) Two refreshed TAO buoys were deployed in the Gulf of Mexico for field testing; and (3) eleven refreshed TAO buoys were deployed in the Pacific Ocean next to existing TAO buoys for inter-comparison testing in the field. In addition to the Climate Principles and following all of the above parallel testing, NDBC also followed its internal process for “Commissioning New Buoys”. This paper highlights the testing that was completed in support of the Climate Principles as well as the additional support planning, support preparations, and testing required for the NDBC “Commissioning Process”. The additional Commissioning Process addresses supportability and performance aspects of the refreshed TAO system. The goal is to ensure successful and sustainable network operations.

An evolution of an information technology architecture for oceanography

Historically, the Naval Oceanographic Office has employed numerous generations of Information Technology (IT) to satisfy its missions and has a history of application of IT from legacy mainframes to deployed mini-computers, networked enterprises, and clusters of super-computers. This paper traces the historical development of the Information Technology enterprise and architecture. Emphasis will be placed on the current application of standards-based architectures, including the Department of Defense (DoD) Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Architecture Framework.