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Issue No.5, June 2007 | PDF version | go to archives »

The JCOMM Newsletter is intended as a two-way exchange of information, and you are encouraged to submit articles (including postings and information on relevant workshops, etc.) of interest to the wider community for inclusion in future JCOMM Newsletters (submit to: c.clark@unesco.org).   Please distribute these newsletters to the wider community.

• GOOS Scientific Steering Committee (John Field, GSSC chair)
• Nineteenth Session, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, 12-16 March 2007
• Service Programme Area -  All Expert Teams Meet
• Ship Observations Team Meeting
• Observations Coordination Group
• Upcoming Events

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GOOS Scientific Steering Committee (John Field, GSSC chair)

The GOOS Scientific Steering Committee met for their 10th session in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 13-16 March 2007. The meeting was preceded by a successful scientific workshop on coastal observations, regional models, and data management and assimilation, organized by the local host, the Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI.  The meeting focused on two main areas:

• coastal implementation, and
• advocacy and outreach, including the role of industry in GOOS;

Discussion highlights included:

• The complementary roles of I-GOOS, JCOMM, GSSC, and the GOOS Regional Alliances were discussed. An important distinction was made between GOOS Regional Alliances (regional policy and coordinating bodies) and the Regional Ocean Observing Systems (ROOSs, the observing systems themselves). It was recommended that the advice of the GSSC/JCOMM/GRA ad hoc task team on GRAs be endorsed as modified by the GRA Forum. Recommendations include immediately forming a sub-committee of the GSSC, the Panel for Integrated Coastal Observations (PICO), with the goal of forming a joint panel with GTOS.
• Progress in establishing (jointly with GEO) the first biological pilot project on ocean chlorophyll (ChlorOGIN) was welcomed, and several other potential pilot projects were discussed (e.g., Harmful Algal Blooms, land-based sources of pollution, multi-hazard early warning systems, wind-wave-current interactions, the Ocean Tracking Network);  it was recommended that each GRA should undertake at least one pilot study of its own choice and priority.
•  I-GOOS should formally recognize the GOOS Regional Council to coordinate GRAs and ROOSs and to represent GRA interests to I-GOOS. JCOMM should coordinate the integration of common variables in coastal observations as the data streams become operational. The new PICO panel should liaise with the GEO Coastal Community of Practice in developing pilot studies.
• It was recommended that GSSC facilitate the acquisition of a standard set of routine underway measurements (such as SST, ADCP current measurements) by research vessels in coastal waters for storage in international databases.
•  I-GOOS should try to obtain national commitments to ensure that GRAs have the necessary support to function.
• I-GOOS should encourage partnerships between GRAs and regional programs such as Large Marine Ecosystem projects and Regional Seas Conventions. 
• Although the Global Module of GOOS was over 50% complete, the completion of the initial design and it’s maintenance in contingent upon additional resources by Member States. 
• The role of industry as both providers and users of information in GOOS was discussed.  The group made several recommendations for action with regard to advocacy and outreach, including the need for professional marketing, and professional posters and material for presentation at large marine meetings and fora. Advocacy should be achieved through understanding the benefits of GOOS, placing a value on those benefits, and clearly conveying these benefits to stakeholders, including policy makers, funding bodies, industry, NGOs, the media and the public. The limited funds should be used to leverage more funding to better understand and quantify the benefits of GOOS to society and engage the wider community in supporting GOOS.

Participants at the recent GSSC-X meeting in Seoul

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Nineteenth Session, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, 12-16 March 2007

The IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange held its Nineteenth Session (IODE-XIX at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy between 12 and 16 March 2007. The Session was attended by 67 delegates from 43 Member States, 11 representatives of organizations, programmes and projects, and 3 World Data Centres. The IODE Committee, during its 5 day Session, reviewed the work of the past inter-sessional period. The Session

1. completed the implementation process of the IODE review recommendations, submitted at IODE-XVIII;
2. recommended a new strategy and structure of IODE Groups of Experts;
3. revised the terms of reference of the IODE GE-BICH;
4. recommended the development of the IODE Ocean Data Portal project;
5. established ODINs for European countries in economic transition (ODINECET), WESTPAC region (ODINWESTPAC) and Black Sea region (ODINBLACKSEA);
6. recommended the establishment of the OceanDocs e-repository project; and
7. recommended the joint HAB/IODE development of a Harmful Algal Event Information System.

The Committee further decided to continue the inter-sessional working group on quality control of ocean profile data and instructed it to submit its work to the March/April 2008 IODE Officers Meeting. JCOMM and IODE interactions and cooperation are detailed in the JCOMM Data Management Strategy, which IODE was invited to endorse during the session.  IODE was invited to make specific recommendations for updating the draft IOC Strategic Plan for Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange in such a way that it is compatible with the JCOMM Data Management Strategy.  The Committee reviewed the draft IOC Strategic Plan ,and tasked Dr Rickards, Mr Reed and Mr Keeley to finalize the Document, and for Dr Rickards to submit it to the IOC Assembly during its 24th Session (18-28 June 2007).   The IOC Plan stresses the importance of interoperability between the different data management systems being developed in both oceanographic and meteorological communities, and with the WMO Information System (WIS) in particular.  The Committee elected Dr Malika Bel-Hassen Abid (Tunisia) and Mr Gregory Reed (Australia) as IODE Co-Chairs.

IODE chairs, past and present   (pictured from left to right ):
Dr Malika Bel-Hassen Abid (Tunisia, newly elected co-chair), Mr Ricardo Rojas (Chile, outgoing Vice-Chair), Dr Lesley Rickards (UK, out-going chair) and Mr Gregory Reed (Australia, newly elected co-chair)

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Service Programme Area -  All Expert Teams Meet

In this period all four of the Expert Teams under the Service Programme Area (SPA) have met:

• Maritime Safety Services (ETMSS-II)
• Marine Accident Emergency Support (ETMAES-I)
• Wind Waves and Storm Surges (ETWS-II)
• Sea Ice (ETSI-III)

Each team has approved detailed work plans that reflect a number of SPA cross-Expert Team issues, focusing on the common theme of Maritime Met-Ocean Support and Safety Services.  All the SPA Expert Teams noted with appreciation that a considerable focus of effort for the Services Programme Area during the next two years is planning the International Maritime Met-ocean Services Conference 2008 scheduled to be held in Exeter, United Kingdom, 5-9 October 2008.  The aim of the Conference is to establish and agree on international Met-Ocean Services requirements, identifying shortcomings of the present systems and reviewing long and short-term solutions.

Second session of the Expert Team on Maritime Safety Services (ETMSS-II)

The Second Session of the Expert Team on Maritime Safety Services (ETMSS-II) was held in Angra dos Reis, Brazil, from 24 to 27 January 2007.  The major outcomes from the ETMSS-II session were as follows:

• Collaboration with the IMO on met-ocean services (similar to IMO A.706(17) for navigational warnings).

• Formation of a cross-Task Team on provision of MSI for Polar Regions, in recognition of the increased use of the Arctic region by all elements of the maritime community (commercial, military and scientific), and the need for the Arctic Ocean to be respected as the other temperate oceans and navigated with similar concern for the presence of hazards to .

• Formation of a Task Team on Tsunami Products for Transmission as marine safety information (MSI).  This Task Team will consider only the pre-tsunami message (where the mariner is being warned of a potential or imminent tsunami) to be broadcasted by GMDSS (SafetyNET and NAVTEX).

• Formation of a Task Team to consider improved baseline sea state MSI using modern techniques, in recognition that the sea state is now again a mandatory parameter in weather forecasts, and dangerous sea/rogue waves are listed as potential parameters for warnings.

• Continued improvement of the GMDSS through the expansion of services to provide products in graphical format via the Inmarsat SafetyNET service, a priority activity of JCOMM. 

• Collaboration with relevant IMO and IHO Committees and Sub-committees.

First session of the Expert Team on Marine Accident Emergency Support (ETMAES-I)

The First Session of the Expert Team on Marine Accident Emergency Support (ETMAES-I) was held in Angra dos Reis, Brazil, from 29 to 31 January 2007.  Highlights include: 

• The Team urged collaboration with the IOC Intergovernmental Panel on Harmful Algal Blooms (IHAB) on the potential use of operational ocean forecasting systems for the prediction of HABs.

• Recommendation to appoint a leader for Maritime search and rescue (SAR) in recognition of this new role of the ET.

• Establishment of the Task Team on MetOcean Products Development to: (i.) review the availability of open source codes for ETMAES applications and provide recommendations on making these codes available, and (ii.) to review and revise MetOcean product-related contents of the Manual on Marine Meteorological Services (WMO No. 558) and the Guide to Marine Meteorological Services (WMO No. 471).

• Strengthening of links with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in the area of marine pollution preparedness for and response to maritime-related accidents.

• Strengthening of ETMAES training and outreach, including further development of the MPERSS website (http://www.maes-mperss.org/). 

Second session of the Expert Team on Wind Waves and Storm Surges (ETWS-II)

The Second Session of the Expert Team on Wind Waves and Storm Surges (ETWS-I) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 20 to 24 March 2007.  The major outcomes from the meeting were:

• Establishment of a Working Group to expand the exchange of routine intercomparison of wave model forecast verification data that has been in place since 1995 and now includes 10 participants contributing data on a routine basis (ECMWF, Met Office, FNMOC, NCEP, KMA, Meteorological Service of Canada, Meteo-France, DWD, BOM, SHOM and JMA, with China interested in future participation).  The future exchange will include additional data types, data formats, and data policy issues. 

• Establishment of a JCOMM Extreme Wave Database for use in model validation and validation of remotely sensed waves, where such models and algorithms suffer from lack of sufficient data, including in situ and altimeter data. 

• Continuation of ongoing work including completing analyses of existing questionnaires, and updating inventories of climatological products.  

• Agreement to update the Guide to Wave Analysis and Forecasting (WMO-No. 702). The Team agreed on the necessity to transform this Guide to a truly dynamic form on the web, including links to operational systems, models outputs, and training modules.

• Review of the first draft of the Guide to Storm Surge Forecasting..

• Establishment of a Task Team to produce an updated Surface Wave Observation Requirement document.

• Endorsement of the JCOMM Scientific/Technical Symposium on Storm Surges (scheduled for 2-6 October 2007, Seoul, Korea).  The Team also noted the importance of the Storm Surge Symposium to the WMO Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme (DPM) and to the JCOMM Extreme Water-Level (JEWL) Pilot Project, and the importance of coordination with DPM and other relevant programmes for appropriate scientific/technical input to the Symposium. 

• Production of e-learning modules to support training workshops, using existing training materials produced by some of the Team members. 

Third session of the Expert Team on Sea Ice (ETSI-III) and the Eleventh session of the Steering Group for the Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank (GDSIDB-XI)

The Third Session of the Expert Team on Sea Ice (ETSI-III) and the Eleventh Session of the Steering Group for the Global Digital Sea Ice Data Bank (GDSIDB-XI) were held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 28 to 31 March 2007.  Highlights included:

• Need to not duplication provision of ice information by SafetyNET, in particular for the NAVAREAs/METAREAs in the South Hemisphere, following review of what is established under the Antarctic Treaty. 

• Recommendation that the appropriate links to ice services in each NAVAREA/METAREA be included in the GMDSS website (http://weather.gmdss.org), based on the information provided in the WMO-No. 574.

• Agreement that the Ice Objects Register Manager should be the WMO Secretariat, to ensure the appropriate link with IHO; and approval of the creation of an Electronic Navigational Chart Ice Objects Task Group.

• Adoption of Version 4.0 of the Ice Objects Catalogue for subsequent submission to the IHO Registry of Marine Information Objects.  Approval that the Arctic and Antarctic Institute (AARI), with the support of WMO Secretariat, be responsible for the management of the electronic version of this publication and its database,with a mirror of this database on the SPA website.  Need for the Electronic Navigational Chart Ice Objects Task Group to ensure the harmonization between this publication and the Ice Objects Catalogue.

• Agreement that the maintenance of complete and up-to-date observational and sea ice information requirements is essential for the provision of relevant and high-quality marine services.

• Agreement to hold an Ice Data Analysis and Assimilation Workshop to compare sea ice analysis charts, methods and techniques in order to establish a common approach to sea ice charts to maintain consistency of operational sea ice charts from different centres.  

• Collaboration with the Joint CCl/CLIVAR/JCOMM Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) to better link marine meteorology and oceanography together with previous (mainly terrestrial) work. 

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Ship Observations Team Meeting

The fourth session of the Ship of Opportunity Team (SOT) met 16-21 April 2007 in Geneva.  A technical and scientific workshop proceeded the session; highlights of the session included:

• National report from eleven countries.
• Requirements from the Expert Team on Marine Climatology (ETMC) were discussed and the SOT agreed with the modernization process of the Marine Climatological Summaries Scheme (MCSS). The SOT stressed that while automation was regarded as a good approach, visual observations should continued to be made and reported via electronic logbooks as they are useful for climate studies.
• The issue of ship owners and masters concerns with regard to the availability of VOS observations through public web site was discussed. The Team recognized that there were not only ship security aspects but also commercial matters to be considered as well as protecting the partnership of WMO Members with the private sector. The Team stressed that the delayed mode data should not be masked as access to the ship’s identification and related metadata is crucial for climate studies. For real-time data, the SOT recommended encrypting the ship’s call sign as a long term solution to address such concerns. Specific recommendations were agreed upon for those countries who wish to implement ship masking of the real-time data as a medium term solution. A Task Team on Call Sign masking and encoding was established to make further recommendations.
• The VOSClim target had been met (218 ship for a target of 200 by SOT-IV); the target was increased to 250 ships as well as the total number of observations routinely produced by the VOSClim. Recommendation was made for increasing the number of VOS ships recording the additional VOSClim parameters. The VOSClim brochure will be updated.
• The SOT broadened the Terms of Reference of its Task Team on Satellite Communication System to consider not just cost issues but also the evaluation of the Iridium system; a  VOS Iridium Pilot Project was established.
• The Team thanked WMO for its commitment to upgrade its WMO Publication number 47 on-line service to take into account the new format of the publication which will come into force as of 1 July 2007. The Team approved the definition of global VOS routes.
• Conduct an impact assessment study to better document the requirements for VOS data.
• Conduct an intercomparison study of electronic logbooks, and review and make available (both on- and off-line) best practices of interest to SOT.
• The Team changed the Terms of Reference of its Task Team on Codes in order to take into account the broad requirements that had been promoted in recent years (GHRSST, META-T, VOSClim, consistency amongst BUFR templates, XBT, ADCP, etc.).
• A number of recommendations were made to continue to operate and to enhance the network of Port Meteorological Officers. In particular, it was proposed that the SOT engages with the IMO to ensure that the training syllabus for ship officers ensures adequate training in modern observational practices.
• The VOS Panel was pleased to hear the E-SURFMAR was offering its on-line VOS metadata database for use by non E-SURFMAR countries who wish to use it in order to collect and manage their VOS metadata.
• Establishment of a new Task Team on ASAP
• Agreement that high quality radio sondes were needed in the oceans. The Panel noted that observation of the tropospheric component of the atmosphere was needed for NWP and that radio sondes generally provided better high vertical resolution information than the aircraft data (AMDAR) over the oceans. Radio sondes data are particularly needed for the calibration of the satellite products, especially in the Southern Hemisphere and in the North Pacific.
• The SOT thanked Meteo France for resuming production of the ASAP monitoring report and to produce it in a new more appropriate format.
• Investigate possibility that all research vessels make atmospheric profiles using ASAP systems as a backup to the regular ASAP soundings.  
• Establishment of a VOS Iridium Task Team to evaluate Iridium technology for collecting VOS data in real time.

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Observations Coordination Group

The second session of the Observations Coordination Group met 23-25 April 2007 in Geneva. The group continued discussions on the need for an Observing Programme Support Centre (OPSC) for the integrated support of all the global observing implementation elements, incorporating and growing from the existing JCOMMOPS.  The OCG is working with the JCOMM co-presidents on a process for the solicitation of proposals to institutions interested in hosting this vital Centre.  Other recommendations from the meeting include:

• Complete real-time reporting and require standard CREX messaging
• Once established, invite the International Tsunameter Coordination Group to become an Action Group of DBCP
• GPS monitoring of land levels at GLOSS core network gauge sites
• Report on performance of implementation plan presented at JCOMM-II and prepare a revised plan which represents fiscal realities out to 2012 for completion of the initial system
• Conduct an external review of JCOMMOPS by 2009 for JCOMM-III
• Development of a surface salinity pilot project in cooperation with OOPC
• Work with the coordination mechanism being developed for hydrography surveys to ensure integration across the observing system
• Develop an observing system monitoring capability to assess wave observations
• Add wave observations to data buoys whenever possible
• Update and post a catalog of all existing technical standards and best practices
• Advance observing system monitoring systems with web services architecture
• Develop a plan for providing GLOSS system monitoring access to JCOMMOPS
• Develop a plan for OceanSITES technical support at JCOMMOPS. (OceanSITES)
• Continue to support workshops that link ocean data utilization with regional deployment opportunities
• Develop a work plan for monitoring satellite system status as a JCOMMOPS task
• Continued outreach to remind Members/Member States that a global system cannot be achieved with existing resources; commitments must be increased to ensure a sustained global system.
• Review the Service Programme Area draft Requirements Document
• Implement OceanSITES data on the GTS.

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Upcoming Events

See full calendar at: http://www.jcomm.info/new/

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Opinions expressed in attributed articles appearing in the JCOMM newsletter are the author's opinions and do not necessarily
reflect those of WMO and IOC.