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2.1 Satellite observing systems and Relevance to GODAE

Lead author: Stan Wilson, NOAA

 

Authors/co-authors: Stan Wilson1 , Jerome Benveniste2 , Hans Bonekamp3 , Mark Drinkwater4 , Jean-Louis Fellous5 , B.S. Gohil6 , Eric Lindstrom7 , Lin Mingsen8 , Keizo Nakagawa9 , and Francois Parisot3


1 NOAA, Silver Spring
2 ESA, Frascatti
3 EUMETSAT, Darmstadt
4 ESA, Estec
5 COSPAR, Paris
6 ISRO, Ahmedabad
7 NASA, Washington
8 SOA, Beijing
9 JAXA, Tsukuba


Abstract


We are in a golden era of satellite oceanography, with a variety of satellites operating in space today. The research space agencies have made great progress, developing and demonstrating systems that provide scientifically useful global observations of parameters like sea surface topography, surface vector winds, surface wave characteristics, ocean color, sea surface temperature, sea ice cover, and gravity. Extending the current observational capabilities well into the future, however, will become increasingly dependent on the operational agencies, as they work to develop an infrastructure to support operational oceanography – a systematic and sustained capability that builds on the successes realized by the research agencies. The transition of these capabilities from research into an operational agency faces a number of challenges, especially those associated with the political and fiscal environment. The successful transition of these systems will be dependent the establishment of partnerships and the development of clear, concise and consistent messages. It will also be dependent on the development of a consensus framework for priority setting, identifying combined sets of satellite and in situ observations that are required to address specific questions of societal relevance. GODAE has been playing, and can continue to play, a key role facilitating the development of the infrastructure to support operational oceanography – demonstrating the impact of timely access to ocean observations in operational analyses and forecasts, as well as doing sensitivity studies to determine the optimal mix of observing systems relative to given societal questions. While looking at the challenges we face today may very well give a less-than-optimistic view of the landscape, looking back shows the impressive progress that we have made over the past decade.

Key words: satellite oceanography, operational oceanography, transition from research to operations

(Last Updated: 15-10-2008)