Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) WMO Observing Systems Division (OSD) Session IV, YOPP Observing Component Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) Etienne Charpentier WMO Observing Systems Division (OSD) 1

GOOS/GCOS 2010 implementation goals for climate observations continuous satellite measurements of sea surface temperature, height, winds, ocean color, and sea ice Dec 2014 Total in situ networks 67% 100% Surface measurements from volunteer ships (VOS) 250 ships in VOSclim pilot project 100% Global drifting surface buoy array ice buoys 5° resolution array: 1250 floats Tide gauge network (GLOSS committed) 40% 300 real-time reporting gauges Fast data Slow/no data GPS XBT sub-surface temperature section network 39% 37000 XBTs deployed Argo profiling float network 100% 3° resolution array: 3200 floats Global time series network Global tropical moored buoy network 62% Repeat hydrography and carbon inventory 66% 76% (Planned) Full ocean survey in 10 years 87 combined sites 125 moorings planned Representative Milestones 100% Original goal for full implementation by 2010 System % sustained, of initial goals 30 34 40 45 48 55 56 59 60 62 62 62 62 62% 67% 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

All marine meteorological and oceanographic observing platforms reporting to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)

Ship observations Surface Meteorological Data VOS (April. 2015) 3045 recruited vessels, incl. 1649 selected ships & 498 VOSClim ships 40% reporting SLP monthly ≈ 2000 ships using e-logbooks ≈ 400 AWS on ships, increasing ≈ 150 000 obs./month VOSClim 498 vessels, incl. 116 AWS Efforts needed to record the additional elements Ship masking issue (Res. 27 EC-59)

Ship observations (ASAP) Atmospheric soundings (ASAP) 18 vessels in 2015 Complement AMDAR over the oceans About 5500 soundings per year 4200 from E-ASAP (N. Atlantic, Med.) 70% profiles reach 100hPa 15 vessels in 2015 Japan, South Africa HK, China (planning) Rep. of Korea (planning) KPRI to make soundings in Arctic in Aug. 2015 from vessel ARAON ASAP Observations in polar regions essentially made by Research Vessels. POLARSTERN is performing routine soundings operations in Arctic & Antarctic summers. Other occasional soundings made by ODEN (Sweden) and ARAON (Korea)

Ship observations (SOOP & ocean obs.) Oceanographic data SOOPIP (XBTs) 29 of 50 lines fully implemented Complement tropical moorings and Argo IOCCP Ocean carbon GO-SHIP Hydrographic surveys GOSUD, SAMOS Surface ocean data (SST, SSS) Research quality data

VOS Recruitment in Polar Regions There are limited opportunities to recruit manually reporting Voluntary Observing ships to make weather observations in the data sparse polar regions. It is difficult for Port Meteorological Officers (PMOs) to inspect ship ships operating these areas and to ensure the quality of their observations Re-supply of calibrated meteorological instruments can also be difficult Traditionally only a few research ships have provided consistent data in Arctic/Antarctic areas However an increasing number of cruise ships, ocean yachts and supply ships are now visiting these waters

Annual VOS Data Coverage (2014)

Current VOS data Coverage (May 2015)

Current VOS data Coverage (May 2015) Seventh Session of the JCOMM Ship Observations Team (SOT), Victoria, Canada, 22-26 April 2013

Monthly Pressure Density January 2015

Antarctic Waters The Scientific Community on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Expert Group on Operational Meteorology in the Antarctic produces an annual list of the names and call signs of ships that are known to have made meteorological observations in Antarctica each season. The SCAR website also lists ships, yachts and launches that are known, or suspected, to have visited Antarctic waters but which didn’t submit any weather observations http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/jds/met/SCAR_oma.htm

Antarctic Waters Currently estimated to be 23 ships reporting in these waters and 60 not reporting in Antarctic waters. Overall increase in shipping in Antarctic waters, but with the number reporting observations not changing.

Antarctic Waters SOT regularly encourages PMO’s to make determined efforts to recruit ships that operate in Antarctic waters to the VOS Scheme Best solution is to install AWS systems on suitable ships (although these typically report only pressure, air temperature , humidity and sometimes wind and sst – whereas manned VOS also report a wide range of visual elements like clouds sea state and weather)

Arctic Waters A paper was submitted to the first session of the International Maritime Organization’s Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR) - 30 June to 4 July 2014 - encouraging enhanced participation in the VOS Scheme in the Arctic Submitted jointly by Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States NCSR invited IMO Member States to consider increased participation in the VOS Scheme WMO supported the paper at the meeting and plans to submit a further paper seeking IMO members assistance with increasing participation in the WMO VOS Scheme.

The way forward for VOS In Polar Regions (1/2) We need to … Increase automation of ocean going vessels that visit Antarctic regions to report manned and automatic observations (most research ships are now fully automated) Develop simpler plug & play AWS systems that can be easily installed

The way forward for VOS In Polar Regions (1/2) We need to … Increase ‘buy-in’ from shipping companies that operate in polar regions ( especially cruise ships operators) to help us install, re-supply and maintain our instruments – or to send observations using their own ships instruments Increase co-operation from countries bordering Antarctica for ship inspections ( PMO 5 Meeting in Chile will help). We already have a good PMO service in S. African and Australian ports

Questions ?