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RESOURCES
SUBJECTS
Science Information By:
J-COMM
Joint Commission on Oceanography and Marine Meteorology
In-situ oceanographic observations, encoded and transmitted using WMO communications systems, are used in weather prediction models, warnings of severe events, fisheries operations, monitoring of scientific experiments, ship routing, etc. Broadcast of these data on the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) occurs within a period ranging from a few minutes to 30 days after the observation. Most of the data are available within one or two days.
The Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP) deployed Global Drifter 1250 near Halifax Harbour (September 2005).
MEDS participates in the establishment and maintenance of code formats for the GTS
- FM 18-XII BUOY
Drifting buoy observations (ZZYY) - FM 62-VIII Ext. TRACKOB
Report of marine surface observation along a ship's track (NNXX) - FM 63-X Ext. BATHY
Report of bathythermal observations (JJYY) - FM 63-XI Ext. BATHY
Report of bathythermal observations (JJVV) - FM 64-IX TESAC
Temperature, salinity and current report from a sea station (KKXX) - FM 64 X TESAC
Temperature, salinity and current report from a sea station (KKYY)
MEDS activities in J-COMM support such programs as GTSPP, WOCE-UOT and SOOPIP for Temperature and Salinity ocean profiles and surface observations. MEDS also acts as the responsible centre for drifting buoys (RNODC) and distributes J-COMM products such as the monthly Mean Sea Level in the Pacific analyses produced by the J-COMM Sea Level Program (ISLP) to the Canadian marine community.
Advisory to users of MEDS real-time BATHY/TESAC data.
SHIP49 Identifiers
Between the years 1995 to 2000, more than 20 thousand BATHY coded messages
were received from Japanese sources with no valid call sign, and no time of
day. A decision was made to keep these data despite the lack of a valid
time, because of the volume of the data set. All of these stations were
arbitrarily assigned a station time of 19:00, and also assigned the
arbitrary call sign SHIP49 for easy identification.
SEAS data with wrong dates
Between the years 1994 to 2005, the U.S. VOS SEAS program generated a
significant number of profiles with incorrect observation dates. There is no
reliable way to distinguish these stations in MEDS archives. The U.S. NODC
is currently working to revise the observation dates for the delayed mode
version of these data.
Argo data as TESACs
The U.S. Argo program , from 1997 to February 22, 2001, transmitted TESAC
messages with pressure values instead of depths. Users are advised that this
may not be the sole source of this problem, and the GODAE server should be
consulted for the delayed mode version where available.
Last revised November 21, 2005
Future activities:
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Argo : A broad-scale global array of temperature / salinity profiling floats reporting in real-time is planned as a major component of the ocean observing system, with deployment scheduled to begin in 2000. |
