2008 US CLIVAR Summit Phenomena Observations and Synthesis

Best Practices Salinity Field program in support of Aquarius –POS provide feedback to organizing group Suggest using Pirata array - augment salinity measurements of Pirata buoy in the domain (subtropical North Atlantic) as soon as possible –Early involvement of NODC to formulate protocol of data archival Develop web based primer on historical data sets (Alexey, Cathy) –Advertise via Climate Variations Article Synthesizing (JCOMM) observational and climate (GCOS) requirements for satellites into a combined set of requirements. –Extend to in situ data –Check requirements for errors, realism, consistency

Best Practices NODC data archival Break out with Margarita Gregg Identify “orphan” data sets (e.g. Turbulence measurements Coordinate group collection/submission of data Data searchable by field program (all data from CLIMODE) Early participation of NODC in filed programs to facilitate archival Use netcdf Outside validation of updated or new products Leverage state of the art development at other institutions

Feedback to Agencies Drought Bridging current modeling studies with obs –Develop soil moisture fields for model initialization and validation –Provide guidance to NIDIS Explore decadal prediction using coupled models Role of deep soil moisture in providing memory and low frequency predictability –Improved model formulations –What data is available? –New measurements

Feedback to Agencies Decadal Predictability Secular trend in Indian Ocean - Surface warming/thermocline cooling –Role of local process: surface fluxes, Indian ocean subtropical cell –Remote Indonesian through flow –Natural variability vs anthropogenic forcing Atlantic MOC –Predictability –Connection to SSTs –Scale of variability & Meridional connectivity Tracing source of changes at 25°N Storm track variability –Causes –Impact on extreme events –Driving of AMOC especially in SH

Feedback to Agencies Small grant call (DRICOMP-like) Intercomparison of new reanalysis products from NCEP, NASA, EC, JMA –Focus on interface (e.g surface fluxes) Preparation for IESA Loosely coupled vs atm only –Best practices Define metrics Identifying independent data sources Verification methods –Evaluation of accuracy as a function of scale Extreme events (could be within Reanalysis)

Inform Policy and Decision makers Communicate synthesized data requirements and potential source of biases to JCOMM & GCOS directors –Include gravity (GRACE) & surface flux measurements –Biases between data sets and satellite measurements Need for overlap periods Climate Variations article describing Climate Data Modernization Project (CDMP) Accepts proposals from NOAA to digitize data Provide feedback on white papers and potential leads for sessions at Ocean Obs 09 conference –Session(s) on using new obs to better understand ocean physics/dynamics

Working Groups IESA –Consider having a workshop first Key to get buy in from major centers –As new high resolution reanalysis become available in the next year or two compare uncoupled (NASA I) to “loosely” coupled (NCEP, NASA II) –Potential Programatic WG activities Assessment of data error characteristics Define metrics Identify scientific challenges Provide recommendations in terms of priorities

Working Groups II Abrupt climate change - tipping points in future climates –Rong made compelling case for WG e.g. very well attended session at AGU –Issue how to best focus this effort Physical system? One or a few key issues or areas –Tipping points in Amazon (tropical rain forests) –Contact researchers in this area and solicit opinions –Consider workshop or Chapman conference Extreme events –Link statistical & climate communities Consider recently released CCSP document first Storm tracks –Decadal variability and change –Relation to extreme events