Monitoring

Understanding climate requires first that we measure the many key parameters (e.g. temperature, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, cloudiness, rainfall, oceanic temperature, salinity, currents, etc) throughout the globe to a useful degree of accuracy. Some of these measurements come from the existing operational network of weather stations; some have and will come from specific climate-related programmes. The global network of meteorological stations used in weather forecasting is inadequate and needs to be extended to remote but climatically significant areas. Over the oceans, merchant ships (the Volunteer Observing Ships) transmit weather reports but very few are in remote regions such as the Southern Ocean and South Pacific. A new programme (VOSClim) aims to increase the quality of these observations. In the more remote areas increased reliance is being placed on drifting buoys and on satellite measurements. (ERS-1 image of surface temperature courtesy of ESA)

 

The oceans, because of their major role in storing and transporting heat, are a key part of the climate system, but are difficult and expensive to monitor. However, the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) aims to implement a routine ocean monitoring network, in which ship observations will be supplemented by satellite observations of key oceanic parameters. Below the surface robot Argo floats will regularly profile temperature and salinity in the top kilometre of the ocean and measure deep currents. These floats surface from time to time to transmit their data back by satellite. (Image courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In key areas such as the equatorial oceans, comprehensive observing systems are being implemented that will extend existing El Niño monitoring buoy networks. These networks (TAO, Triton and Pirata) make extensive upper ocean observations from an array of moored buoys. (Image courtesy of NOAA PMEL)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 20th century rate for sea level rise is close to 2 mm/yr. Most of this is due to mass increase -- presumably melting of continental ice -- rather than the conventional explanation of ocean warming expanding the volume of the oceans. Press the See More for an excellent presentation of the current status of knowledge by NOAA's Dr. Laury Miller of the NESDIS Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry.