CEOS NEWSLETTER No.13

page 4

CEOS Strategic Implementation Team Moves Forward
IGOS Partners Meet in Rome, Italy
IGOS Partnership Forum at UNISPACE-III
Implementing IGOS Through Themes ---This page
The Ocean Theme - A Pathfinder
CEOS Strategic Implementation Team Moves Forward (continued from Page 1)
The 8th WGISS Meeting and WGISS Special Workshop
The 15th WGCV Meeting and Joint WGCV/ISPRS Workshop
13th CEOS Plenary in Stockholm

The Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) Partnership has endorsed the concept of "themes" to implement IGOS by engaging in joint strategic planning for the integration, coordination and optimization of observing activities, by initiating activities needed to fill a gap or correct a problem in global observations, and by pioneering applications for new technologies. "oceans" was selected as an initial pathfinder theme, and NASA agreed to chair a team, comprised of members from various IGOS Partner organizations to develop the oceans theme.

At the 12th CEOS Plenary and 2nd IGOS Partnership meetings in Bangalore, India, in November 1998, EUMETSAT presented a new approach, utilizing thematic areas, for activities of the integrated global observing strategy. With a view toward broadening IGOS to include
the observing activities of all Partners, the themes concept was developed to provide a more coherent focus for the definition and implementation of IGOS. The concept was further refined in subsequent months, and adopted by the CEOS Strategic Implementation Team (SIT) at its meeting in January 1999 and the IGOS Partnership at its meeting in June 1999.

The fundamental underpinning of the theme approach is the acceptance that IGOS must establish priorities within broad theme areas; that the priorities must take account not only of the requirements of international programs but also those of national and regional programs and must be sensitive to major issues connected with international conventions; that IGOS must seek to exploit what already exists and seek to improve in incrementally; and that the definition and inclusion of in-situ requirements are vital to this process.

The oceans theme was identified at the CEOS SIT meeting in La Jolla, CA, January 1999, as a pathfinder to demonstrate the theme concept and was recommended to move immediately into the implementation phase. It was recognized that now is the time to further develop and implement an operational global ocean observing system and that it is currently possible to capitalize on recent
successes. Oceanography capabilities have evolved greatly in the last twenty years. With the advent of satellite-based ocean remote sensing of sea surface temperature, sea surface topography, winds, and ocean color, global oceanography has been enabled. In-situ systems
compatible with global observing, such as profiling neutrally buoyant floats, have also been developed, particularly by components of the WCRP such as WOCE and TOGA. Likewise, during this period, numerical models of the ocean circulation have advanced rapidly and are now being coupled to atmospheric models and in some cases to ecosystem models, keeping pace with the speed and capacity of super-computing technology development.

NASA agreed to chair the team, which includes representatives from GOOS, CNES, ESA, ISRO, NASDA and NOAA. The so-called Ocean Theme Team began drafting a preliminary report, which was presented to the IGOS Partnership in Rome, Italy, June 1999.

The Ocean Theme Team report is a call for concerted action. It underscores the GOOS vision of developing and maintaining global ocean observing tools for a permanent global ocean observing system. It also provides an excellent opportunity to build on the work of two of the
CEOS SIT demonstration projects, folding together the IGOS-related portions of the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) and the Ocean Biology Projects, to bring together disparate pieces, thereby demonstrating the utility of IGOS for oceans. It attempts to consolidate recent scientific gains in in-situ observing, remote sensing, ocean model development and data assimilation into an ongoing, robust ocean observing system. The report provides first recommendations to the IGOS Partnership--critical areas for action to assist in developing the capability for global operational oceanography. The ultimate goal is to set IGOS on a course to provide systematic long-term high-quality measurements for ocean surface topography, ocean surface vector winds,

ocean color and sea surface temperature. Other measurements and experimental developments contributing to a global ocean observing system are to be considered in later work. The report outlines short (1-2 year), medium (2-5 year) and long-term (5-20 year) implementation goals for IGOS to support its development of an integrated ocean observing strategy.

Based on the endorsement received by the IGOS Partners in June, the Ocean Theme Team and GOSSP held a joint meeting in Pasadena, August 5-6, 1999. The workshop examined requirements and capabilities for ocean observation in light of specific needs such as seasonal-interannual climate forecasting, improved marine weather prediction, and improved scientific understanding of marine
ecosystems. Draft recommendations from the Ocean Theme Team to the IGOS Partnership were assembled and will be refined by late September. These recommendations will include some requests for immediate action by the IGOS Partners and some ideas for action over the medium and long term to facilitate development of an integrated ocean observing system. The joint meeting with GOSSP provided an excellent opportunity to focus the ocean theme agenda and to develop its usefulness as a pathfinder activity.

The Ocean Theme Team will present a report to the CEOS Plenary and IGOS Partnership meetings in Stockholm, November 1999. Response to theme team recommendations and commitment to action by the Partners are expected in early 2000, roughly one year after inception of the theme effort.

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