Importance of Marine Meteorological Observations in support of services

Johan Stander
Co-President JCOMM

Abstract
Atmospheric changes on timescales of months, decades and centuries are driven by the state of
the oceans. Observations are required from below the surface to help us understand the ocean
circulation and to provide the initial conditions for Ocean Models.
Met-Ocean services gathers marine observations from four main sources:
 Marine automatic weather stations - moored buoys, light vessels, offshore installations
and other marine platforms;
 Voluntary observing ships;
 shipbourne automatic weather stations as well as Upper air stations;
 Drifting buoys;
 Gliders and
 Argo floats to name a few.

Oceans cover around 70 percent of the Earth's surface and play an important role in driving the
atmospheric circulation. Observations of the weather over the oceans are particularly
important for:
 forecasts and warnings to help ships and other offshore operators to avoid severe
weather conditions at sea;
 input to computer models that predict the future state of the atmosphere; and
 provision of meteorological information over the long term that aids our understanding
of the global climate.

Recognising the fact that observations are the core of Quality Marine Services, weather
forecasts are based upon information acquired by observations made at a large number of
stations. Onto dry land, these stations are located so as to provide adequate coverage of the
area of interest. The observations at sea are made by mariners, buoys, and satellites. Since the
number of observations at sea is small compared to the number on land, marine observations
are of great importance. Data recorded by designated vessels are sent to national
meteorological and hydrological services (NMHS’s) centres, where form part of Numerical
weather and climate prediction models from where local and global forecasts are generated.
Marine observations at sea is done at the same time periods as those on land. Even with
satellite imagery, actual reports are needed to confirm developing patterns and provide
accurate forecasts. There is an old saying garbage in garbage out therefore the forecasts only
be as good as the data received.

If we then look at the goals of WMO then we will notice that one of the goals are to produce
more accurate, timely and reliable forecasts and warnings of weather, climate, water, and
related environmental elements, to improve the delivery of environmental information and
services to the public, governments and other users, and to provide scientific and technical
expertise and advice in support of policy and decision-making and implementation of the
agreed international development goals and multilateral agreements and observations in
critical in support of this goal .
While the goals of IOC are to help Member States to collectively achieve healthy ocean
ecosystems and sustained ecosystem services, effective early warning systems and
preparedness for tsunamis and ocean-related hazards, increased resiliency to climate change
and variability through scientifically-founded services, adaptation and mitigation strategies and
enhanced knowledge of emerging ocean science issues.

Introduction
The Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology
(JCOMM), is an intergovernmental body of technical experts that provides a mechanism for
international coordination of oceanographic and marine meteorological observing, data
management and service systems, combining the expertise, technologies and capacity building
capabilities of the meteorological and oceanographic communities.

JCOMM was established by its parent Organizations, the World Meteorological Organization
and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (of UNESCO) in 1999, to coordinate
worldwide marine meteorological and oceanographic services.

JCOMM coordinates and recommends standards and procedures for a fully integrated marine
meteorology and ocean observing, data management, forecasting and analysis system.
The long-term objectives for JCOMM are:
(i) to enhance the provision of marine meteorological and oceanographic forecasting
and analysis services;
(ii) to contribute to the development, enhancement and delivery of climate services
related to the marine atmosphere and coastal and deep oceans;
(iii) to coordinate the enhancement and long-term maintenance of an integrated global
marine meteorological and oceanographic observing and data management system;
(iv) to coordinate the evolution of the services through the selective incorporation of
advances in meteorological and oceanographic science and technology;
(v) to promote and facilitate the equitable participation of all WMO Members and IOC
Member States

Specifically focussing on observations, the driving forces are the strategic planning of its parent
organizations, WMO and IOC of UNESCO. JCOMM is a critical element in the implementation of
the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and it
is a contributor to the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS). In addition, the work
of JCOMM will contribute substantially to the success of WMO Integrated Global Observing
System (WIGOS) and WMO Information System (WIS); the International Convention for the
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS); and all of the other international treaties and conventions that
rely on accurate, near-term and long-term oceanic and marine meteorological integrated data
and services.

The development and implementation of an integrated oceanic and marine meteorological

JCOMM, through achieving the goals of WMO and IOC, will yield a broad range of societal
benefits, including:
- improving metocean information, forecasting and warnings;
- reducing loss of life and property from natural (and indirectly, human-induced)
disasters;
- understanding environmental factors affecting human health and well-being;
- understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating, and adapting to climate variability and
change;
- improving the management and protection of terrestrial, coastal and marine
ecosystems;

In response to these considerations and specifically focussing once again on observations, the
long-term objectives of JCOMM are:
(i) To enhance the provision of marine meteorological and oceanographic forecasting
and analysis services in support of the safety of life and property at sea and in coastal
areas; advance the science based risk management for marine and maritime
economic, commercial and industrial activities; contribute to the prevention and
control of marine pollution, help to sustain healthy and productive oceans, develop
integrated coastal area management services for recreational activities and the safety
 of coastal settlements and activities ;
(ii) To contribute to the development, enhancement and delivery of climate services
related to the marine atmosphere, the coastal and deep oceans, based on the core
competencies within the Commission in marine meteorology and oceanography, as a
contribution of JCOMM to the GFCS and to coordinate and enhance the provision of
the data, information, products and services required to support climate research and
the detection and prediction of climate variability;
(iii) To coordinate the enhancement and long-term maintenance of an integrated global
marine meteorological and oceanographic observing and data management system,
containing both in situ and remote sensing components, including cost-effective and
efficient data communication facilities, as part of the GOOS and the World Weather
Watch (WWW), and in support of the GFCS, WCRP, GCOS, and other major WMO and
IOC Programmes. This data management system should contribute to the WIS and
the IODE Ocean Data Portal (ODP), and should be compliant with the requirements of
WIGOS;
(iv) To manage the evolution of the services through the selective incorporation of
advances in meteorological and oceanographic science and technology. The
incorporation will be facilitated by the active participation to international system
development research groups, such as GODAE, GOOS, SOLAS and engaging experts
from these communities in the JCOMM expert teams;

Towards the end of August, a massive luxury cruise sailed through the Arctic and the story came
to light that climate change should be thanked, one then should ask the question what was and
or is the risks associated with such a crossing. Is there sufficient data available to accurately
forecast sea ice as well as ice bergs, especially those submerged which is the devil in hiding.

Let us focus on the Observations programme area (OCG) within JCOMM for a while.
The Observations Coordination Group plays a key role in the Global Ocean Observing System
(GOOS) in coordinating implementation of in situ observing networks; complemented by
scientific oversight from the GOOS Physics Panel (the Ocean Observations Panel for Physics and
Climate OOPC), and innovation activities in GOOS Projects. GOOS has proposed that the
coordination activities of OCG, particularly around observing platforms, observing standards,
and data management standards could, where effective and efficient, be the core of an
extension of these activities to other emerging ocean observing networks, including networks
focused on non-physical ocean measurements. In practice this is being done on a pilot basis (for
example with gliders).

Recently the state of the ocean climate including a development of a strong El Niño in the
tropical Pacific Ocean, warm anomalies elsewhere in the Northeastern Pacific, we are reminded
of the important link to increased extremes such as tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific. The
importance of data as a service for users, in addition to analysis and forecast systems remains
critical. For the sustainability of the Observations programme area within JCOMM one should
not ignore the risks to sustainability of the observing system, and the work of the OCG in
developing improved metrics of observing system implementation.

JCOMMOPS
JCOMM in situ Observations Programme Support Centre (JCOMMOPS) is based on the existing
DBCP, OceanSITEs, SOT, GO-SHIP, and Argo coordination mechanisms. The centre provides
essential data and tools, as well as a centralized information and technical support facility,
required for coordinating and integrating many of the existing operational ocean observing
networks under JCOMM. Through the activities of JCOMMOPS, the following goals are
addressed:
I. Facilitating decision making by programme managers (maintaining information on
requirements, analysis products showing how requirements are met, information on
telecommunication systems);
II. Facilitating programme implementation (assistance regarding GTS distribution,
identification of available deployment opportunities, assistance regarding
standardization of real-time data telemetry formats);
 III. Enhancing operational and monitoring aspects (compiling quality control information
and following up with solutions to correct identified problems, acting as a clearinghouse
on operational aspects of platform implementation, providing information on the status
of relevant observing platforms)
Methods of Observations
Moored buoys fixed buoy
Out of the water each buoy can stand as much as stand 6m tall, 3m in diameter, weighs +-
5 tonnes and has anchor cables several kilometres in length to moor it in the deep ocean off the
continental shelf. It is deployed by a ship with heavy lifting gear and operates for up to two
years between service visits. It measures air pressure; air temperature; sea temperature;
humidity; wind speed, wind direction, wave height and wave period (critical for severe storms).
The buoys are designed to operate in the extreme environment. They are solar powered but
can run for around three months on batteries alone. All components of the observing system
are duplicated to provide backup in the event of any system failures. The buoys have
demonstrated their resilience very well over the last 10 years.
The stations transmit their observations hourly - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The data are
currently used to help us:
lightship Lightships
Lightships are permanently-moored ships that have light beacons to aid navigation in busy sea
routes. They offer a convenient platform for a Marine Automatic Weather Station. The lightship
systems make the same range of measurements as the moored buoys, with the addition of
visibility.
Island systems
Automatic Weather Stations and Upper air systems on a fair amount of islands. The island
systems make most of the same measurements as the other systems, but because they are land
based they do not measure sea temperature or waves.
Ship Observations from ships
Voluntary ships and offshore oil platforms offer convenient sites for making meteorological
observations in locations over the open ocean. Officers and staff on recruited ships are
encouraged to record and transmit weather observations in support of the World
Meteorological Organisation's World Weather Watch and the JCOMM Voluntary Observing Ship
Scheme. The recruitment of voluntary ships is also encouraged in the International Maritime
Organisation's SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea) Convention.
Shipbourne Automatic Weather Station (AWS)
Automation on ships has increased significantly in recent years and this trend is expected to
continue in the future. Basic meteorological parameters can be automatically measured and
transmitted at hourly intervals.
Drifting buoys
Drifting buoys are used for both forecasting and climate studies. Drifting buoys are one of the
primary sources of air pressure data over the oceans required by our weather forecasting
models. They also provide measurements of sea temperature, which are vital for understanding
the global climate. By tracking their positions the surface currents can also be determined.
Some also have sensors to measure swell, wind and salinity. The buoys are battery powered
and typically last for one to two years.

WMO Congress Cg-17 (2015) and Executive Council meeting (2016) resolutions.
Cg-17 encouraged the WMO Marine Programme (MMOP) and JCOMM to continue to sustain
and grow the relevant observational programmes, including the investigation of new
methods and technologies (e.g. the use of submarine cables for climate monitoring and
disaster warning).

Cg-17 further urged Members to maintain and enhance their essential marine meteorological
and oceanographic observation systems and to make available in real-time the data collected
by the systems, including ship-based sounding system, weather buoys, oil-rigs and the tide
gauge network to WIGOS.

The Ad Hoc Working Group for improved marine services was requested to also address the
issue of data buoy vandalism and additionally, recommend how to strengthen capacity
development on all marine related aspects, including observations, data management and
services while JCOMM was requested to revisit the issue of buoy vandalism, and in doing so,
assist to design a regionally relevant education and outreach strategy that will reinforce the
WMO and IOC joint efforts to be tsunami- and weather-ready, which is consistent within the
WMO mandate and overall, under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-
2030.
Manufacturers are key in these requests and should play an important role in addressing this
successfully.

Way Forward
There is a direct relationship between the wind speed and the state of the sea. This is useful in
forecasting sea conditions. For any given wind speed and duration, the longer the fetch, the
greater is the sea disruption. If the fetch is short, the disruption will be relatively small no
matter how great the wind speed is or how long it has been blowing. Swell waves are not
considered when estimating wind speed and direction. Only those waves raised by the wind
blowing at the time are of any significance therefore additional real time wind and swell data
over the oceans is essential when NMHS’s prepare forecasts and or alerts especially with
regards to Coastal inundation and or storm surges.

From JCOMM we request you to address with us the following Met-Ocean challenges;
• Reliability;
• Sustainability;
• Affordability;
• Cost effective;
• Real time;
• Global coverage and
• Improved remote sensing products.