SHIP OBSERVATIONS TEAM (SOT) THIRD SESSION Brest, France, 7 to 12 March 2005 FINAL REPORT JCOMM Meeting Report No. 35 WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION (OF UNESCO) _____________ ___________ SHIP OBSERVATIONS TEAM (SOT) THIRD SESSION Brest, France, 7 to 12 March 2005 FINAL REPORT JCOMM Meeting Report No. 35 N O T E The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariats of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (of UNESCO), and the World Meteorological Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. C O N T E N T S Report ................................................................................................................................... 1 Annex I List of Participants.................................................................................................... 50 Annex II Agenda..................................................................................................................... 56 Annex III Task Teams ............................................................................................................. 62 Annex IV Use of VOS Data in Climate Products ..................................................................... 68 Annex V Definition of Sea Surface Temperature.................................................................... 77 Annex VI Flyer and Certificate................................................................................................. 80 Annex VII Revision of WMO-No. 47 (Pub. 47).......................................................................... 82 Annex VIII Scientific and Technical Workshop ........................................................................ 109 Annex IX RSMC Exeter Monitoring Report............................................................................ 116 Annex X Report of the VOSClim Project Leader .................................................................. 123 Annex XI Report of VOSClim Scientific Advisers .................................................................. 128 Annex XII Report of the Real Time Monitoring Centre of the VOSClim.................................. 131 Annex XIII Report of the Data Assembly Centre (DAC) of the VOSClim................................. 144 Annex XIV SOOP Line Responsibilities ................................................................................... 147 Annex XV Proposed Terms of Reference of JCOMMOPS ..................................................... 149 Annex XVI SOOP Trust Fund .................................................................................................. 150 Annex XVII ASAP Trust Fund ................................................................................................... 155 Annex XVIII Overarching Implementation Plan.......................................................................... 158 Annex XIX Terms of Reference of Ship Observations Team (SOT) ........................................ 160 Annex XX Action Items ........................................................................................................... 162 Annex XXI List of Abbreviations............................................................................................... 168 GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE WORK OF THE SESSION I. COMMON SESSION I/1. ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION I/1.1 Opening of the session I/1.1.1 The third session of the JCOMM Ship Observations Team (SOT) was opened by the chairperson of the Team, Mr Graeme Ball (Australia), at 0930 hours on Monday, 7 March 2005, in the conference room of the French Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer), Brest France. I/1.1.2 On behalf of all participants, Mr Ball expressed his appreciation to Météo-France, the Institute de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) for hosting the session and for providing such excellent facilities and support. He particularly thanked the local organizers of the session, in the preparations for the session on behalf of the SOT. He then stressed the importance of the present meeting, both in following up the progress achieved at the second session of the SOT (SOT-II) (London, United Kingdom, 28 July - 1 August 2003) in integrating and streamlining environmental monitoring from volunteer ships, and also in continuing efforts to enhance the quantity and quality of ship-based meteorological and oceanographic observational data. He then introduced Mr Jean-Louis Gaumet, the representative of the Director-General of Météo-France. I/1.1.3 On behalf of Mr Jean-Pierre Beysson, Director-General, Météo-France and Permanent Representative of France with WMO, Mr Jean-Louis Gaumet welcomed the SOT-III meeting and the opportunity to exchange information on ship observations in Brest. Météo-France plays an important role in the WMO and EUMENET/EUCOS programmes, mainly for surface marine observations. Météo-France Brest is a traditional place where research and operational surveys of meteorological buoys and ships, and other marine observation systems have taken place for many years. He wished that this SOT meeting would be another good one, as were the last two meetings in Goa (India) and London (United Kingdom). I/1.1.4 On behalf of the President of the French Institute for Research and Development (IRD), Pr J.F. Girard, and the Director General, Mr Serge Calabre; Mr Claude Roy, Directeur of the Centre IRD de Bretagne welcomed the participants to the third SOT meeting. IRD’s mission is to develop scientific research programmes contributing to the sustainable development of the countries of the South with a special emphasis on the relationship between man and the environment, covering a wide range of topics from climate variability, biodiversity, resource dynamics, health and society. Mr Roy wished the participants a very fruitful meeting and an enjoyable stay in Brest I/1.1.5 Mr Gérard Riou, Director of the Centre of Ifemer Brest, welcomed participants to Brest and to the meeting on behalf of Ifremer Brest, the largest of the Ifremer centres. Ifremer carries out activities which aim to develop knowledge and expertise about the oceans and their resources. Ifremer is highly concerned by a global observing system; and the ship based surface and sub- surface measurements, organized under the SOT, are a highly valuable contribution to the construction of this global observing system. He wished the participants a very successful and productive meeting. I/1.1.6 On behalf of the Secretary-General of WMO, Professor Michel Jarraud, and the Executive Secretary IOC, Dr P. Bernal, the Secretariat representative, Ms Teruko Manabe (WMO), also welcomed participants to the third session of the SOT. She expressed the very sincere appreciation of both Organizations to Météo-France, IRD, and Ifremer, especially Mr Pierre Blouch, Mr Joël Quere, Mr Jean Rolland (Météo-France) and Yves Gouriou (IRD), for the excellent facilities provided as well as for the tremendous organizational effort already put into preparations for the meeting. In doing so, she expressed appreciation to these organizations for the ongoing high level of cooperation extended by them to the JCOMM activities including the work of the SOT. The - 2 - Secretariat representative then supported the remarks of the chairperson concerning the objectives and importance of the meeting. She assured participants of the full support of the Secretariat, both during the meeting and throughout the implementation of the SOT work programme, and she concluded by wishing all participants a very successful meeting and an enjoyable stay in Brest. I/1.1.7 Mr Graeme Ball (Australia) made a brief presentation on background and overview of the SOT and this session. I/1.1.8 The list of participants in the meeting is in Annex I. I/1.2 Opening of the Scientific and Technical Workshop (see item II) I/1.3 Adoption of the agenda I/1.3.1 The SOT adopted its agenda for the session on the basis of the provisional agenda with some changes which are given in Annex II. I/1.4 Working arrangements I/1.4.1 The meeting agreed its hours of work and other practical arrangements for the session. The documentation was introduced by the Secretariat. I/2. REPORTS BY THE SECRETARIAT, OBSERVATION PROGRAMME AREA COORDINATOR AND CHAIRPERSON OF SOT I/2.1 Report by the Secretariat I/2.1.1 The meeting noted a brief report by the Secretariat on its activities during the past intersessional period relevant to the SOT. This included the Brussels 150 celebration seminar; the Second JCOMM Workshop on Advances in Marine Climatology (CLIMAR-II); a major JCOMM workshop on operational oceanography products - Ocean Ops 04; and various other activities of a routine nature. The meeting recalled that the second session of JCOMM (JCOMM-II) will take place in Halifax, Canada, 19-27 September 2005. The meeting noted with interest that a scientific conference entitled” Operational oceanography and marine meteorology for the 21st century” will take place on 15-17 September prior to JCOMM-II. I/2.2 Report of the Observations Programme Area Coordinator I/2.2.1 The meeting noted with appreciation the report on the Observations Programme Area (OPA) priorities by Mr Mike Johnson (USA), the OPA Coordinator. He reported that three observing system