Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Fulfilling Observing System Implementation Requirements with the Global Drifter Array

Rick Lumpkin NOAA/Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami, Florida

Search for other papers by Rick Lumpkin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Luca Centurioni Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

Search for other papers by Luca Centurioni in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
Renellys C. Perez Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, and NOAA/Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami, Florida

Search for other papers by Renellys C. Perez in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Apr 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-15-0255.1
Page(s):
685–695
Restricted access

Abstract

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) requirements for in situ surface temperature and velocity measurements call for observations at 5° × 5° resolution. A key component of the GOOS that measures these essential climate variables is the global array of surface drifters. In this study, statistical observing system sampling experiments are performed to evaluate how many drifters are required to achieve the GOOS requirements, both with and without the presence of a completed global tropical moored buoy array at 5°S–5°N. The statistics for these simulations are derived from the evolution of the actual global drifter array. It is concluded that drifters should be deployed within the near-equatorial band even though that band is also in principle covered by the tropical moored array, as the benefits of not doing so are marginal. It is also concluded that an optimal design half-life for the drifters is ~450 days, neglecting external sources of death, such as running aground or being picked up. Finally, it is concluded that comparing the drifter array size to the number of static 5° × 5° open-ocean bins is not an ideal performance indicator for system evaluation; a better performance indicator is the fraction of 5° × 5° open-ocean bins sampled, neglecting bins with high drifter death rates.

Corresponding author address: Rick Lumpkin, Physical Oceanography Division, NOAA/AOML, 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149. E-mail: rick.lumpkin@noaa.gov

Abstract

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) requirements for in situ surface temperature and velocity measurements call for observations at 5° × 5° resolution. A key component of the GOOS that measures these essential climate variables is the global array of surface drifters. In this study, statistical observing system sampling experiments are performed to evaluate how many drifters are required to achieve the GOOS requirements, both with and without the presence of a completed global tropical moored buoy array at 5°S–5°N. The statistics for these simulations are derived from the evolution of the actual global drifter array. It is concluded that drifters should be deployed within the near-equatorial band even though that band is also in principle covered by the tropical moored array, as the benefits of not doing so are marginal. It is also concluded that an optimal design half-life for the drifters is ~450 days, neglecting external sources of death, such as running aground or being picked up. Finally, it is concluded that comparing the drifter array size to the number of static 5° × 5° open-ocean bins is not an ideal performance indicator for system evaluation; a better performance indicator is the fraction of 5° × 5° open-ocean bins sampled, neglecting bins with high drifter death rates.

Corresponding author address: Rick Lumpkin, Physical Oceanography Division, NOAA/AOML, 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149. E-mail: rick.lumpkin@noaa.gov
Save
Cover Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

  • Elipot, S., and Lumpkin R. , 2008: Spectral description of oceanic near-surface variability. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L05605, doi:10.1029/2007GL032874.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hormann, V., Lumpkin R. , and Perez R. C. , 2013: A generalized method for estimating the structure of the equatorial Atlantic cold tongue: Application to drifter observations. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 30, 1884–1895, doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-12-00173.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lumpkin, R., and Pazos M. , 2007: Measuring surface currents with Surface Velocity Program drifters: The instrument, its data and some recent results. Lagrangian Analysis and Prediction of Coastal and Ocean Dynamics, A. Griffa et al., Eds., Cambridge University Press, 39–67, doi:10.1017/CBO9780511535901.003.

  • Lumpkin, R., Maximenko N. , and Pazos M. , 2012: Evaluating where and why drifters die. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 29, 300–308, doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-11-00100.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lumpkin, R., Grodsky S. , Rio M.-H. , Centurioni L. , Carton J. , and Lee D. , 2013: Removing spurious low-frequency variability in surface drifter velocities. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 30, 353–360, doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-12-00139.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Maximenko, N., Hafner J. , and Niiler P. , 2012: Pathways of marine debris derived from trajectories of Lagrangian drifters. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 65, 51–62, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.04.016.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Maximenko, N., Lumpkin R. , and Centurioni L. , 2014: Ocean surface circulation. Ocean Circulation and Climate: A 21st Century Perspective, 2nd ed. G. Siedler et al., Eds., Academic Press, 283–300.

  • Needler, G., Smith N. , and Villwock A. , 1999: The action plan for GOOS/GCOS and sustained observations for CLIVAR. Proc. OceanObs’99: International Conference on the Ocean Observing System for Climate, St. Raphaël, France, CNES, 26 pp. [Available online at http://www.oceanobs09.net/work/oo99/docs/Needler.pdf.]

  • Niiler, P. P., 2001: The world ocean surface circulation. Ocean Circulation and Climate: Observing and Modelling the Global Ocean, G. Siedler, J. Church, and J. Gould, Eds., International Geophysics Series, Vol. 77, Academic Press, 193–204.

  • Niiler, P. P., Sybrandy A. , Bi K. , Poulain P. , and Bitterman D. , 1995: Measurements of the water-following capability of holey-sock and TRISTAR drifters. Deep-Sea Res. I, 42, 1951–1964, doi:10.1016/0967-0637(95)00076-3.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • NOAA, 2015: Global Drifter Program. Subset used: February 1979–March 2015, NOAA/Drifter Data Assembly Center, accessed 19 November 2015. [Available online at http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dac/dacdata.php.]

  • Perez, R. C., Hormann V. , Lumpkin R. , Brandt P. , Johns W. E. , Hernandez F. , Schmid C. , and Bourlès B. , 2014: Mean meridional currents in the central and eastern equatorial Atlantic. Climate Dyn., 43, 2943–2962, doi:10.1007/s00382-013-1968-5.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schott, F. A., McCreary J. P. Jr., and Johnson G. C. , 2004: Shallow overturning circulations of the tropical-subtropical oceans. Earth Climate: The Ocean–Atmosphere Interaction, Geophys. Monogr., Vol. 147, Amer. Geophys. Union, 261–304.

  • Stanitski, D., Johnson M. , and Thurston S. , 2005: Building a Global Ocean Observing System for climate. Oceans 2005: Proceedings of the MTS/IEEE, Vol. 2, IEEE, 1894–1898, doi:10.1109/OCEANS.2005.1640035.

  • UNESCO, 2002: Report of the seventh session of the Joint GCOS–GOOS–WCRP Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC). GOOS Rep. 124, GCOS Rep. 81, WCRP Rep. 21/02, 84 pp.

  • van Sebille, E., England M. H. , and Froyland G. , 2012: Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters. Environ. Res. Lett., 7, 044040, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044040.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • WMO, 1988: Detailed requirements. Vol. 1, World Ocean Circulation Experiment implementation plan, WMO Tech. Doc. WMO/TD-242, WCRP-11, 174 pp.

  • WMO, 2003: The second report on the adequacy of the Global Ocean Observing Systems for climate in support of the UNFCC. WMO Tech. Doc. WMO/TD-1143, GCOS-82, 81 pp.

  • WMO, 2004: Implementation plan for the global observing system for climate in support of the UNFCCC. WMO Tech. Doc. WMO/TD-1219, GCOS-92, 145 pp.

  • Zhang, H.-M., Reynolds R. W. , Lumpkin R. , Molinari R. , Arzayus K. , Johnson M. , and Smith T. M. , 2009: An Integrated Global Ocean Observing System for sea surface temperature using satellites and in situ data: Research to operations. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 90, 31–38, doi:10.1175/2008BAMS2577.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 2096 403 83
PDF Downloads 428 72 6