RAMA Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction M. J. McPhaden and G. Meyers, K. Ando,Y. Masumoto, V. S. N. Murty, M. Ravichandran, F. Syamsudin, J. Vialard, L. Yu, W. Yu EGU General Assembly Vienna, Austria 15 April 2008 Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., in preparation

Outline  Scientific rationale  Design specifications  Implementation status  Examples of early data  Challenges & opportunities RAMA RAMA: In Hindu mythology, an ancient king of India and hero of the epic “Ramayana”.

Winter Summer The Indian Monsoon

Indian Ocean Climate Science Drivers  Seasonal monsoon variability  Interannual variations: ENSO Impacts and the Indian Ocean Dipole (ENSO-like phenomenon in the Indian Ocean)  Intraseasonal (30-90 day period) oscillations and far field impacts (ENSO, hurricane formation, west coast US rainfall)  Decadal variability  Warming trends since the 1970s  Ocean circulation (Indonesian Throughflow, shallow and deep overturning circulation, monsoon currents, etc.) Indian Ocean Dipole

The Issue  Progress in describing, understanding, and predicting has been limited in part by a general lack of long data records from the Indian Ocean region.  Many international programs have been carried out in the Indian Ocean since the International Indian Ocean Expedition in the 1960s, but they have not left a legacy of comprehensive sustained observations.  CLIVAR and GOOS established an Indian Ocean Panel in 2004 to design and guide the implementation of an Indian Ocean Observing System for climate.

Indian Ocean Observing System (IndOOS)  Multi-platform  Satellite & in situ  Basin scale  Long-term  Priority on real- time See CLIVAR Exchanges, October 2006

ATLAS TRITON Moorings  Advantages Rapid sampling in time to resolve high frequencies Instruments recovered to allow post-calibration Fixed grid array so time and space are not mixed Multi-variate (ocean, atmosphere, biogeochemical)

RAMA  Basin scale, upper ocean (500 m) focus.  Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Eq. Waveguide, Thermocline ridge (5°-10°S), subtropical subduction, Java upwelling.  Design supported by numerical model observing system studies. RAMA

Present Status 38% complete (18 out of 47 Sites; 4 Flux Reference Sites)

Indian Ocean Dipole, 2006 Neutral=±0.5°C

Comparison of Oct-Nov 2004 & 2006

ADCP Time Series Wyrtki Jets

ADCP Time Series Stronger EUC in Feb-Mar 06 Biweekly oscillations

Deployment with flux enhancements 8°S, 67°E CIRENE ATLAS Mooring cyclone season Cyclone Dora

Response to Dora

Indian Ocean Heat Fluxes (1)Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models often overestimate latent heat loss. (2)ISCCP overestimates solar radiation but underestimates the long wave radiation. (3)At 0, 80E, NWP fluxes are underestimated by W m -2 (4)OAFlux latent heat flux compares best with buoy estimates. Latent Sensible Solar Longwave Net

Three Challenges Ship time (≥ 140 days per year to maintain full array) Funding Vandalism by Fishermen

Vandal-Resistant Mooring Design Modifications  ATLAS -Make sensors and equipment more difficult to remove by using specialized hardware  Conehead buoys - Remove vulnerable sensors -Make buoys harder to board -Remove buoy attachment points Conehead buoy

80°E Process Study, Expanded ADCP array along 80.5 ºE will include some moorings enhanced for upper ocean T and S measurements. Two surface moorings will have vandal resistant design.

Indian Ocean International Cooperation and Capacity Building for RAMA USA (NOAA) and Indonesia (DKP and BPPT) signed an MOU USA (NOAA) and Japan (JAMSTEC) are drafting an updated MOU USA (NOAA) and India (MoES) will sign an MOU in April 2008 China (SOA) and Indonesia (DKP) signed an MOU U.Paris/IFREMER and NOAA/PMEL collaborated to expand into SW Indian Ocean Tsunami/RAMA cruise RV Baruna Jaya III Sept 2007

Summary  RAMA has been endorsed by the international community is under development  Data will find applications in research, model development, ocean state estimation, forecast initialization and validation, satellite validation  There are challenges to full implementation, but they being addressed  Opportunities exist for inclusion of sensors to support biogeosciences programs and for coordination with the tsunami hazards community RAMA