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NOAA Ocean Mission Planning

NOAA Ocean Mission Planning. Dr Stan Wilson, Senior Scientist NOAA Satellite & Information Service PORSEC Guangzhou, China 6 December 2008. Operating NASA Research Missions. OSTM/Jason 2. NASA’s Remarkable Capability to Observe the Oceans.

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NOAA Ocean Mission Planning

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  1. NOAA Ocean Mission Planning Dr Stan Wilson, Senior Scientist NOAA Satellite & Information Service PORSEC Guangzhou, China 6 December 2008

  2. Operating NASA Research Missions OSTM/Jason 2

  3. NASA’s Remarkable Capability to Observe the Oceans • NASA – an R&D agency – has developed a remarkable capability to observe the oceans • NASA satellite observations – together with in-situ – are having a significant impact on oceanography today • Altimetry – ocean surface topography • Scatterometry – surface vector winds • Ocean Color Radiometry – chlorophyll concentration

  4. Transitioning from Research to Operations – NASA • NASA is interested in developing new and better capabilities to observe the oceans • NASA is motivated to respond to the NRC Decadal Survey recommendations • To the extent that these capabilities are to be sustained over the long term in the U.S. – especially critical for maintaining climate-quality data records – it will be up to NOAA to do the job

  5. Transitioning from Research to Operations – NOAA • NOAA – an operational agency – has had for several decades a capability to collect observations of the atmosphere • This has been driven by the needs of atmospheric weather forecasting • NOAA needs to implement a similar capability to observe the oceans • With the exception of sea surface temperature, NOAA has not yet been able to do so

  6. Potential Breaks in Continuity • When current NASA satellites reach the end of their lives – Jason & Jason-2, QuikSCAT and SeaWiFS & MODIS – we will face potential breaks in the continuity of their observations • NOAA, in preparing for this eventuality, is pursuing two options (1) Implement operational follow-on capabilities within NOAA (2) Seek timely access to alternative sources of data

  7. (1) Implement Operational Follow-on Capabilities within NOAA • Motivated by its mission needs, NOAA is working to transition demonstrated NASA research capabilities into corresponding NOAA operational capabilities • Operational = sustained, systematic observations with timely data access • Such transitioning will require significant new resources – if NOAA is to capitalize on the NASA capabilities and implement them on an operational basis

  8. (2) Seek Timely Access to Alternative Sources of Data • NOAA is also working with foreign partners to identify alternative sources of observations to meet its needs • Meeting mission needs, however, requires timely data access – where data are typically needed within three hours of collection if needed for operational forecasting • Looking to alternative sources is not unique to NOAA – it is an issue being faced by most nations

  9. Which capabilities does NOAA propose to transition? • Altimetry – ocean surface topography • Scatterometry – surface vector winds • Ocean Color – chlorophyll concentration

  10. Operational Needs for Ocean Surface Topography • Climate – requires a Jason-type mission • Is sea level rise accelerating? • Characterize decadal variability and its relation to: • Droughts • Hurricanes • Fishery regime shifts • ENSO-based seasonal forecasting • Weather – requires 2+ additional altimeters • Hurricane intensity forecasting • Boundary conditions for nested coastal models • Surface waves for high-seas forecasting • Characterize ecosystems

  11. Meeting Needs for Ocean Surface Topography • Proposing to implement jointly with EUMETSAT a Jason-3 mission to launch in early 2013, to be on orbit in time to overlap with Jason-2 at the end of its design life • Jason-3 to be a clone of Jason & Jason-2 • Requires new funding in FY10 • Seeking timely access to alternative sources of data from complementary altimeters • Sentinel-3 – timely access assured • SARAL/AltiKa – timely access in discussions • HY-2 – timely access uncertain

  12. Operational Needs for Surface Vector Winds • Operational Forecasting • Hurricanes/typhoons and tropical systems • Surface waves and storm surge • Hurricane-force winter storms • Localized coastal wind events • Research • Characterize the surface vector wind (and σo) field for use in climate-quality data records • Provide systematic products to the research community • Both require two concurrent scatterometers

  13. Meeting Needs for Surface Vector Winds • Proposing to provide a scatterometer for flight on JAXA’s GCOM-W2 in early 2016 • Scatterometer to have 2 frequencies to address rain/wind ambiguity with some improvement over QuikSCAT in spatial resolution • Requires new funding in FY11 • Overlap with QuikSCAT highly unlikely • Seek timely access to alternative sources of data for the complementary scatterometer • ASCAT/Metop – timely access assured • Oceansat-2 – timely access in discussions • HY-2 – timely access uncertain

  14. Operational Needs for Ocean Color Radiometry • Coastal • Harmful algal bloom forecasts/warnings • Water quality assessments, including eutrophication • Characterize and assess health of habitats • Ocean basins • Describe trends in basin-scale ocean habitat • Understand and characterize habitat for ecosystems • Cruise planning • Global ocean • Role of the oceans in the global carbon cycle

  15. Meeting Needs for Ocean Color Radiometry • Identify consensus observational requirements for sustained, systematic ocean color radiometry • Review the capability of various sensors to meet those requirements: • VIIRS/NPOESS C1 from U.S. • MERIS/ENVISAT and OLCI/Sentinel-3 from ESA • OCM-2/Oceansat-2 from ISRO • SGLI/GCOM-C from JAXA • COCTS/HY-1 from SOA • Utilize the CEOS Ocean Color Radiometry Constellation and IOCCG to develop mutually agreed merged data sets & integrated products from multiple sensors • Promote data sharing in the context of programs like NASA’s SIMBIOS, ESA’s GlobColour, POGO-GEO-GOOS’s ChloroGIN and CSA/GEO’s SAFARI

  16. Summary of Pending Issues • Operational follow-on capabilities proposed for implementation within NOAA • FY10 new start – NOAA/EUMETSAT Jason-3 • FY11 new start – NOAA 2-frequency scatterometer for GCOM-W2 • Assessment of VIIRS ocean capabilities • Seek timely access to alternative sources of data • Discussions proceeding with ISRO regarding timely access to data from Oceansat-2 and SARAL/AltiKa • Discussions are needed with SOA regarding HY-1 and HY-2

  17. Overall Issues • Success requires that we are able to: • Cross calibrate between different sensors, so that • Data can be merged, to enable the • Development of agreed-on integrated products • Achieving such success requires that data are shared – between agencies and countries • This enables more and better research • But if the public is to receive a return on its taxes, it needs more than just research • It needs products relevant to society – operational warnings and forecasts, climate assessments… • And this will not be possible unless data are shared in a timely manner • No one agency or nation can afford to collect all of the data or has all of the expertise it needs

  18. Comments on the Current Situation within the U.S. • The FY10 budget has been delivered to the present Administration, but the incoming Administration will submit it to Congress • The incoming Administration appears to be much more interested in the environment and climate than the present • But given the current financial crisis, how much will it be capable of supporting?

  19. Looking to the Future • The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites is pursuing three “Virtual Constellations” • Ocean Surface Topography • Ocean Surface Vector Winds • Ocean Color Radiometry • They provide a forum within which the international sponsors can engage to: • Promote standard data products • Collaborate in research and demonstrations • Provide timely access for operational use • Harmonize satellite orbits to optimize coverage • They could be key to our collective success

  20. Leatherback Turtle Track • Moving westward from Hawaii superimposed on: • (top) SSH and derived • geostrophic currents from • TOPEX/Poseidon and • (bottom) chlorophyll from • SeaWiFS • Dots show Argos-derived positions corresponding to time of satellite data collection • Courtesy of • Jeff Polovina NOAA/NMFS

  21. Leatherback Turtles Tracked by Service Argos Transmitters, Plotted on the Circulation of the North Atlantic Derived from Satellite Altimetry Courtesy of CNES and Mira Productions, March 2008

  22. From OST Strategic Planning Workshop, Assmannshausen, 29-31 Jan 2008

  23. Ocean Color Missions (EUMETSAT)

  24. The Jason series – continuing observations of global sea level Courtesy of NASA

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