SOCD Status Brief

1. SOCD Status Brief February 2006

2. Outline • Personnel • Performance & Activities • Budget • Grants • Proposals • Safety • Publications

3. Personnel

4. Current & Projected FTE Personnel • Pending FY05 • VanWoert resignation: Package approved by STAR; submitted to HR • Miller promotion: Initial PD drafted • Lavoi promotion: PD being developed; requires ORA-CSC LOA update; 1-year vacancy • FY06 • Strong retirement 01/03/06 • Clark retirement 01/03/06

5. Personnel Notes • FTE • Maureen Chiarizia: Extended medical issue • Medical documentation received • Submitted application for disability retirement • Supervisor statement submitted • Walter Smith: 1-year detail to NOAA @ UNH • Stephanie Williams hired as support staff 8/22/05 • Postdoc / Visiting Scientists • MetOp SST CIRA postdoc • Dr. Doreatha Ivanova began her post-doc with the SST Team on November 17,2005. She will be involved in the SST validation using ground-based SST, including buoy and climatological SSTs. • Ocean Color NRC postdoc • Wei Shi • SST NRC postdoc • Prasanjit Dash • Ocean Surface Winds Team • Gordana Sindic-Rancic • Contractors • ESDIM GOES SST: Wen Meng hired • Coral Reef Watch: Felipe Arzayus departs 08/22/05; hired as NOS fed • WindSat: Wanshu Wang departs 08/22/05; hired as NIC contractor

6. Travel / Leave

7. Activities & Performance

8. Elevated NESDIS Milestones

9. STAR Level FY06 Milestones

10. STAR Level FY06 Milestones cont’d…

11. STAR Level FY06 Milestones cont’d…

12. SOCD Performance Measures SUSTAIN (Master) • On an annual basis, sustain the determination, documentation, and correction of the quality of NOAA operational satellite ocean remote sensing products through regular calibration and validation activities, maintaining current assessments and adjustments to 100% of NOAA’s operational satellite ocean remote sensing data streams. • Status:MOBY has completed eighth year as the primary vicarious calibration source for ocean color satellite data • On an annual basis, sustain 90% locally-controllable availability of experimental and selected non-NOAA satellite ocean remote sensing products for community use and evaluation. • Status: TBD- Note from CoastWatch – Sathya is working on applicable PM for this (KH). BETTER (Improve) • On an annual basis, implement improvements in the methodology and/or quality of one to three NOAA operational and/or experimental algorithms and products. • Status: Completed retracked altimetry data, improving marine gravity field; completed preliminary validation of QuikScat high wind speed model function; completed MOBY data reprocessing • On an annual basis, improve the outreach, technology transfer, and education to/of users of satellite ocean remote sensing, as measured by a trend of increasing unique user and new education modules made available. • Status: Established China CoastWatch and 2 OceanWatch nodes; Completed coral education module NEW (Create) • On an annual basis, develop one unique new (or new improvement to) operational or experimental technique, algorithm, product, or service for satellite ocean remote sensing. • Status: Blended GOES-POES SST has been implemented FIRST (Invest) • On an annual basis, be the first to provide one new satellite ocean remote sensing algorithm, product, or service. • Status: Completed transition of OSCAR ocean surface currents to operations –

13. CoastWatch Milestones NODES: Central OperationsCentral Pacific Node (OceanWatch) Caribbean - Gulf of Mexico NodeWest Coast NodeMid-AtlanticGreat LakesAlaskaNortheast

14. CoastWatch Milestones NODES: Central OperationsCentral Pacific Node (OceanWatch) Caribbean - Gulf of Mexico NodeWest Coast NodeMid-AtlanticGreat LakesAlaskaNortheast

15. CoastWatch / OceanWatch Performance Measures • Performance Measure 1:Maintain and improve CoastWatch/OceanWatch readiness • Performance Measure 2:Increase numbers of new validated products • Add blended GOES/POES to distributed CoastWatch product suite in pre operational status – Work delayed due to late delivery of code from science contractor – Rescheduled for 06/06. • Performance Measure 3: NOAA specific EOS product processing system operational • Working w/ OSDPD to transition to Operational • Performance Measure 4:Increase areal coverage of NOAA OceanWatch - completed in FY05 • Add limited South Pacific coverage to OceanWatch distributed product suite – Completed see MODIS coverage images • OceanWatch Pacific Basin – Established at Central Pacific Node (OceanWatch Node) Completed June 2005 • Performance Measure 5:Improve customer access and utilization opportunities • Establish Gulf of Mexico as OceanWatch demonstration – Project on hold • Establish one additional OceanWatch demonstration – Established in Pacific, HI, CA. • Establish preliminary climate observational capability within OceanWatch (Ocean Carbon Watch collaboration with AOML and PMEL); Ocean Carbon Dioxide Watch established with AOML — In progress • Establish China CoastWatch – In progress, on track • Exploring additional International CoastWatch opportunities, including Europe and S. America.

16. Highlight Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Symposium On January 31, 2006, the Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Symposium took place at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD. In attendance were representatives from several Federal and State entities, as well as local Universities. The goal of the symposium was to facilitate the integration of ocean remote sensing products into existing and developing Chesapeake Bay decision support tools. After the one day event, a research to operations project to implement a Chesapeake Bay chlorophyll –a algorithm was identified. Primary participants include NASA, Old Dominion University, NOAA ORAD, Horn Pt. Lab/UMCES, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and NOAA CoastWatch. Update: NASA algorithm team has met and established a timeline for the overall process. Currently using the 3 submitted algorithms to process the past several years of SeaWiFS data. Will reconvene individuals to show results and modify for MODIS. CoastWatch will ultimately put the algorithm of choice into processing stream for the Chesapeake Bay MODIS data.

17. CoastWatch Highlights China CoastWatch As presently envisaged China CoastWatch is approximately 25% established. Two of the three ground stations are established and are processing data. Xiaofeng Li and Kent Hughes are presenting the plans and progress to the US-China Cooperation in Marine Science/Integrated Coastal Management Sub-panel on February 13 and 14, 2006.

18. CoastWatch Highlights CoastWatch East Coast Node The establishment of the East Coast Node at NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office is about 30% completed. This is a 3rd QTR milestone. The Node Manager has been hired by NMFS and all of the CoastWatch purchased equipment has been set up with the operating software installed. As well, an AVHRR web component has been installed as an initial demonstration. Development and implementation plans for the data retrieval, processing and dissemination have begun. This image shows the proposed regions of coverage.

19. CoastWatch Highlights Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Symposium On January 31, 2006, the Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Symposium took place at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD. In attendance were representatives from several Federal and State entities, as well as local Universities. The goal of the symposium was to facilitate the integration of ocean remote sensing products into existing and developing Chesapeake Bay decision support tools. After the one day event, a research to operations project to implement a Chesapeake Bay chlorophyll –a algorithm was identified. Primary participants include NASA, Old Dominion University, NOAA ORAD, Horn Pt. Lab/UMCES, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and NOAA CoastWatch.

20. CoastWatch Highlights Okeanos Technical Documentation On January 26, 2006, CoastWatch delivered a final draft of the technical documentation on the Okeanos ocean color processing system to SSD. MODIS QA Browsing Imagery (MQABI) is a web based MODIS QA tool developed by NASA and imported to NOAA by CoastWatch with IPO support as a VIIRS quality assessment tool (Dr. Menghua Wang, PI). Since then, the software has been modified, tested and installed on CoastWatch machines. The URL is http://orbit008c.orbit2.nesdis.noaa.gov/MQABI. FY06 plans includes adding NOAA credentials to the web page (QTR2) and implementing regional 1km validation capability.

21. Coral Reef Watch • Performance Measures • Provide local coral reef managers with reliable and accurate coral bleaching forecasting tools. • Develop and make operational a comprehensive coral reef ecosystem monitoring program. • 55% of coral bleaching events accurately predicted. Update in Progress

22. CRW Highlights • Expanded Satellite Bleaching Alerts Coverage from 6 sites in the Caribbean to 24, preliminary results detailing the 2005 bleaching event, and local and Federal agency efforts on the bleaching event presented in a press release.  Also noted were US Coral Reef Task Force efforts in the region and the role of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch within the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. • Press release (http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2006/feb06/noaa06-015.html) and • NOAA News item (http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2574.htm) • Caribbean Bleaching Event website: http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/caribbean2005/

23. Sea Ice

24. Sea Ice Performance Measures • Tasks 1 and 3 - Sea Ice Product and Research Development and National Ice Center Polar Research. Products are evaluated using model, buoy data and observations using NOAA as well as other ships and aircraft resources of opportunity. Product evaluation and feedback by present and new users is sought after. The number of new and updated experimental products, transitioned products, and new users will be followed. In addition, where appropriate skill scores will be developed to determine product performance. • Status: Increasing number of active users and products under both tasks including USCG (for sea ice and iceberg monitoring off Alaska, and USGS for sea ice Marginal Ice Zone in the Bering Sea under task 1) and the NWS and NESDIS (for customized sea ice edge products under task 3) • Task 2 - Sea Ice Altimetry Research. For altimetry Cal/Val, a decrease in the amplitude of error in estimated sea-ice freeboard from approximately 1.0 m to 15 cm by 2006 along CryoSat ground tracks and wavelength of freeboard error to 0.5 km. For altimetry climate - establish first year of sea-ice mass time series (monthly intervals) by end 2007. • Status: Airborne activities to restart on March 2006 in spite of the launch failure of CryoSAT.

25. Sea Surface Temperature

26. Sea Surface Temperature cont’d…

27. SST Performance Measures Indicator = satellite SST product algorithm validation results • These project performance measures refer to algorithmic maximization of the instrument (not instrument design or specs) and apply to all project task objectives. • Accuracy / Precision • Target = 0.1K instantaneous • Metric = systematic (mean) and random (std) error relative to ground truth • Indicator = statistics determined from ground truth matchups • Baseline = 0.5K rms random; <0.1K systematic • Status: TBD • Stability • Target = 100% up time • Metric = up time / year • Indicator = operational log history • Baseline = 95% up time • Status: TBD Update in Progress

28. Sea Surface Height

29. Sea Surface Height Task 1: Altimeter Data Sets Goal: Improve GFO GDR sea surface height accuracy using Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1 as the standard. Indicator: GDR sea surface height accuracy Unit of Measure: resolution –cm Baseline: FY04 – 5 cm Target: FY06 – 4cm Status: In progress Task 2: Ocean Dynamics. Goal: Increase percentage of ocean area covered by OSCAR analysis. Indicator: OSCAR analysis ocean area coverage Unit of Measure: percent Baseline: FY04 – ~20% Target: FY06 - ~50%; FY08– ~80% Status: Oscar-2 contract to be awarded end of FY05 Goal: Decrease turn-around time for OSCAR product. Indicator: turn-around time of product Unit of measure: time Baseline: FY04 – 10 days Target: FY06 – 1 week Status: In progress Task 3: Marine Gravity & Bathymetry. Goal: Decrease error in marine gravity. Indicator: marine gravity error Unit of Measure: mGal Baseline: FY05 – 7mGal Target: FY08 – 5mGal Status: Completed Goal: Improve global G&B resolution. Indicator: global gravity and bathymetry resolution Unit of Measure: resolution –km Baseline: FY05 – 30km Target: FY08 – 20 km Status: In progress Task 4: Climate. Goal: Increase confidence in historical global sea level rise value. Indicator: confidence in global sea level rise Unit of measure: rate –mm/yr Baseline: FY04 -±0.5 mm/yr Target: FY08 - ±0.3 mm/yr Status: In progress

30. Ocean Surface Winds

31. Ocean Surface Winds Performance Measures Task 1: Scatterometry • Full utilization of QuikSCAT scatterometer data by the operational weather community. • Status:complete – products available in AWIPS, NAWIPS and web page • Implementation of an improved high wind speed model function for QuikSCAT based on aircraft experiment data. • Status: complete – implemented in 12.5km processing on web page • Quantification of rain impacts on scatterometer wind vector retrievals • Status: ongoing • Validation and implementation of a reduced landmask to allow use of QuikSCAT winds closer to the coast • Status: ongoing • Full readiness to support operationally utilization of ASCAT, which is currently scheduled for a December 2005 launch. • Status: ongoing – launch delayed to June 30, 2006 Task 2: Radiometry • A full evaluation of the capabilities and limitations of ocean vector wind retrievals from WindSat • Status: ongoing • A comparison of WindSat and QuikSCAT wind vector retrievals • Status: ongoing Task 3: Applications • An operational demonstration of a global ocean upwelling index product running in near real-time. • Status: ongoing Update in Progress

32. Ocean Color

33. Ocean Color Performance Measures Overarching Performance Measure: Develop and maintain the capability to produce climate quality Ocean Color derived products. Task Performance Measures: Task 1. Marine Optical BuoY (MOBY) Goal: Sustain and improve vicarious calibration of all ocean color satellite sensors. Indicator: Days Normalized Water-Leaving Radiance measured by MOBY corresponding to Ocean Color Satellite overpasses. Unit of Measure: Percent Baseline: FY05 – 95% Target: FY06 – 98% Status: Ongoing Task 2. Marine Optical Characterization Experiment (MOCE) Goal: Maintain and reduce uncertainties in Normalized-Water Leaving Radiance measurements for use in vicarious calibration by MOBY. Indicator: Uncertainty in Normalized Water-Leaving Radiance measurements by MOBY. Unit of Measure: Percent Baseline: FY05 – ±7% Target: FY06 – ±5% Status: Ongoing Task 3. Ocean Color Validation Goal: Operational validation of the ocean color data stream using the MODIS Quality Assurance Browse Imagery quality assurance system. Indicator: Implementation of MQABI Unit of Measure: Percent Completion Baseline: FY05 – Not begun. Target: FY06 – 50% Status: MQABI Installed for internal evaluation Task 4. Ocean Color Applications Goal: The development and improvement of Ocean Color Product Algorithms. Indicator: Ocean Color Product Algorithms developed or improved Unit of Measure: Number Baseline: FY05 – 5 Target: FY06 – 7 Status: Ongoing Task 5. Optical Water Mass Applications Goal: Demonstrate feasibility of NRL developed Optical Water Mass Classification Technique. Indicator: Implementation of Classification of Coastal Water Mass Features. Unit of Measure: Percent Completion Baseline: FY05 – Not begun. Target: FY06 – 50% Status: Started.

34. Sea Surface Roughness

35. Sea Surface Roughness

36. Sea Surface Roughness Performance Measures Overarching Goal: Develop, Demonstrate, and Implement an Operational Product Processing System for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Products Task Performance Measures: Task 1. Securing SAR Data Access Performance Measure #1: Increase SAR Data Access Goal: Increase the number of other nation’s SAR observation platforms which have been used in NOAA Applications demonstrations to meet user observation requirements. Indicator: Different SAR satellites used in Applications Demonstrations. Unit of Measure: Number of Satellites Baseline: FY05 – 1 Target: FY08 – 3 Status: Two satellites have been used – Radarsat-1 (beginning FY1999) and Envisat (Beginning FY 2006) ALOS was launched in January 2006. Task 2. SAR Product Research Performance Measure #2: Increase Number of SAR User Observation Requirements Met Goal: Increase the number of SAR user observation requirements met within applications demonstrations Indicator: SAR user observation requirements met within NOAA applications demonstrations. Unit of Measure: Number of requirements met Baseline: FY05 – 1 Target: FY08 – 3 Status: Coastal Winds implemented FY 1999, Upgraded Ship Detection to be implemented in FY 2006, Wave State to be implemented in FY 2007. Performance Measure #3: Improve Ship Detection Algorithm Goal: Improve ship detection algorithm to improve detection performance Indicator: Ship detection performance Unit of Measure: % of ships detected Baseline: FY05 – 46% Target: FY07 – 60% Status: New ship detection code will be delivered in March and validated this fiscal year

37. Sea Surface Roughness Performance Measures Overarching Goal: Develop, Demonstrate, and Implement an Operational Product Processing System for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Products Task Performance Measures: Task3. SAR Demonstrations and Outreach Performance Measure #4: Document new research findings and inform users Goal: Document new research findings and make progress toward their acceptance by users by completing at least 2 papers, technical reports, or training courses/modules per year. Indicator: SAR papers published, reports written or user training courses, materials, modules prepared/presented by SSR team members Unit of Measure: Number of papers, reports, training modules/courses completed Baseline: FY05 – 14 Target: 2 per year Status: SAR Wind User’s Guide published in FY2006. Chapter on Marine Pollution completed for Manual of Remote Sensing – it should be published in May 2006. Performance Measure #5: Increase number of SAR users Goal: Increase the number of identified users of SAR data and products by at least 2 per year Indicator: Identified unique users Unit of Measure: Number of users Baseline: FY05 – 17Target: 2 additional per year Status: At the end of 2005 there were 17 identified users with whom we interact directly. We have added one already in FY 2006. We are upgrading our web site to better meet these user’s needs. Task 4. Operational Systems Development Goal: Provide operational SAR products to meet user requirements Indicator: SAR products produced operationally Unit of Measure: Number of Products Baseline: FY05 - 0 Target: FY11 - 4 Status: Prototype operational products system has been developed for SAR high-resolution winds and installed in four locations including NESDIS/STAR. New products will be added to this system as it is developed into a fully operational system.

38. Key Projects • Status • SOCD S&T Roadmap Final Draft Submitted • Division Status Brief • Concept slides generated • Monthly reports being produced • Roadmap reviews • Review one dimension each month on rotating basis. • Functional Areas • Science Teams • Strategic Priorities • CIOSS Science Interchange (8-9 Sep @ CIOSS)

39. Operational Transitions • GOES-POES blended SST • Code completed transition to SOCD: December 05 • Validation match-up data base commenced by January 06 • Initial validation expected by March 06 • NASA – NOAA Research to OPS • R2O: Grants still not issued • R2O: Some contracts pending • Pending FY05 end-of-year status reports • SeaWiFS – MODIS Aqua Comparison Completed – Sept 2005

40. Ground Systems Update

41. Significant Pending Actions • SOCD S&T Roadmap • Final Draft due 2nd September: Submitted, Completed • Division Status Brief • Finalize briefing format: Completed • PPBES • FY05 • Close out expenditures • FY06 • Develop budgets and spend plans • FY08 • Programming • Mission Goal 3/Coasts, Estuaries & Oceans/Ocean Remote Sensing • Mission Goal 1/Coral Reef Conservation Program • Mission Goal 5/Satellite Services • R2O • Joint NOAA – NASA transition implementation plans • Altimetry • Scatterometry • Ocean color • Annual Performance Reviews • Input interviews during September • Rating levelings • Feedback sessions during Oct/Nov

42. Budget

44. Variances • ORS Total • Total vs Obligated - 49.7% $1,819,916 • Total vs Committed - 1.1%$40,666 Obligated  Committed  • Contracts: - 39.5% + 0.6% • Grants: - 62.9% - 13.3% • Equipment: +125.7% +199.6% • Travel: - 18.7% 0.6% • Supplies: - 17.5% - 43.5%

45. Grants

46. Grants Status • ORS competitive grant process • FY05 continuation awards processed Feb 05 • ORS FY06 AO for the NOAA omnibus submitted May 05 • NOAA omnibus AO published 30 June 05 • ORS call for proposals closes 23 Sep 05 • Reviews will be completed by 23 Dec 05 • CIOSS • Year-3 award processed Apr 05 • Year-3 R2O supplemental processed May 05 • Year-3 GOES-R COAST supplemental processed Jun 05 • Directed research • CIMSS • Year-3 split processed (due to CIMSS renewal) • CIMSS Year-3 proposal submitted • CICS • Year-3 CICS omnibus ORS component submitted • Pass-throughs • MISST NOPP • CICOR grant processed Jun 05

47. Proposals

48. Proposals • AOs • EPA Global Change Research Program: Non-linear responses to global change in linked aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and effects of multiple factors on terrestrial ecosystems. • Proposals due: 29 Sep 05 • LOI • None pending • Proposals • Submitted to NASA: Menghua Wang “Ocean Color Remote Sensing in the Coastal Regions” • Ocean Surface Winds Science Team FY06 Pending Proposals • IPO IGS • HPCC • NASA OSWST • Wang, M. (PI), K. Hughes (Co-I), and D. K. Clark (Co-I), “VIIRS Ocean Color Data Processing and Analyses,” FY 2005 Internal Government Studies (IGS). Clark, D. K. (PI) and M. Wang (Co-I), FY 2005 Research & Operation Program for developing a more robust in situ oceanic calibration capability. Wang, M. (PI), “Refinement of the MODIS Atmospheric Correction Algorithm for the Ocean Color Products,” NASA EOS NRA, 2004-2007. Wang, M. (PI), “Assessment and Evaluation of the Atmospheric Correction Algorithm for the NPP VIIRS Ocean Color EDRs,” NASA NPP NRA, 2004-2007.

49. Safety

50. Safety Status • NOAA Safety Inspection of WWB held August 30 • Monthly inspection report • October SOCD WWB • November SOCD WWB • December SOCD WWB • January SOCD WWB • February SOCD WWB • Discrepancy correction status • NESDIS WWB monthly • Discrepancies • Wiring in WWB102 computer room: Requisitions submitted for the necessary network equipment (cables and network switch) to correct the wiring issue (Chang). • No fire detection system in WWB 102 & 602 Computer Rms: being investigated, in progress • General house keeping – In progress • Conference room 602: Cables/wiring exposed. Doors (exits) blocked by equipment. No Signage indicating means of egress – Temporary storage area for equipment.