1. OceanSITES: NOAA Perspective on Science, Data Management, Next Steps
Diane M. Stanitski
OceanSITES Program Manager
Climate Observation Division
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA
28 April 2016

2. Progress, Added Value
3-4 October 2013
Publications on line (next EndNote; find papers that use OceanSITES data and identify more of the user community)
Develop this as a metric as well as other metrics - operational (# sites, publications), societal (e.g., link to precipitation extremes)
Deep Ocean Observing (what’s next?)
Highlight products developed with OceanSITES data
Promote what OceanSITES does well – coordination, data management…
GEO Carbon – Tarasova and Butler

3. WHOI Hawaii Ocean Time-series
Bob Weller, Al Plueddemann
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Partners: Hawaii Ocean Time-series (R. Lukas, M. Church, D.Karl, J. Dore, M. Landry, R. Letelier, R. Bidigare), PMEL Carbon Group (C. Sabine)
Upper ocean T/S trends
- The WHOTS ORS was established to provide a mid-Pacific flux reference site and to leverage the long-running Mauna Loa (atm CO2) and HOT (multi-disciplinary repeat shipboard sampling) observatories with a sustained air-sea and upper ocean presence. - The Mauna Loa atmospheric CO2 record combined with HOT and WHOTS ocean pCO2 make this one of the most comprehensive CO2 monitoring sites in the world. - HOT Station Aloha records since 1989 provide context on climate time scales within which WHOTS records are embedded. - WHOTS buoy pCO2 provides short-term variability not available in the HOT record and is part of a global ocean carbon observing system. - WHOTS hydrography provides water-column time-series perspective for SST/SSS and bio-chemical changes observed in the HOT record. - WHOTS fluxes allow fidelity of gridded flux products to be assessed while the gridded products, in turn, provide the spatial context for the WHOTS record. Moana Loa context: Mauna Loa atmospheric pCO2 since 1988 (red dots), HOT seawater pCO2 (blue) and HOT pH (green) show that the upward trend in atm CO2 is reflected in the ocean and that pH is dropping simultaneously. Aloha SSS: HOT Station Aloha sea surface salinity record since Station ALOHA SSS has been strongly influenced by the hydrological cycle, where interannual droughts around Hawaii associated with ENSO are set against a background of decadal and longer term rainfall variation WHOTS pCO2: pCO2 in water (light blue) and air (dark blue) are shown along with SST (greed) from the WHOTS buoy (PMEL/Sabine collaboration) Details of the annual cycle are resolved here that are not available in the HOT record. Upper ocean salinity: Water column salinity from the WHOTS mooring is contoured on density surfaces. The anomalously high salinity in 2009 and 2010 is clear. This increasing salinity approximately compensates a warming trend during the same period HOT ship-based sampling is eddy-permitting, not eddy-resolving. Yet the eddies impact the carbon biogeochemistry in nonlinear ways. This makes high temporal resolution of the WHOTS mooring crucial for understanding the changes observed via HOT. - WHOTS (and other ORS) observations are helping to improve reanalysis products. Understanding the limitations of these products is essential for interpreting older records such as HOT/ALOHA.
CO2 Time-series: Mauna Loa, HOT and WHOTS
Mauna Loa context: CO2 since 1958
WHOTS

4. Progress, Added Value
3-4 October 2013
Publications on line (next EndNote; find papers that use OceanSITES data and identify more of the user community)
Develop this as a metric as well as other metrics - operational (# sites, publications), societal (e.g., link to precipitation extremes)
Deep Ocean Observing (what’s next?)
Highlight products developed with OceanSITES data
Promote what OceanSITES does well – coordination, data management…
GEO Carbon – Tarasova and Butler

5. Next Steps OceanSITES as Community of Practice
3-4 October 2013
OceanSITES as Community of Practice
Develop and strengthen use of standards and best practices across OceanSITES to encourage integration across OceanSITES and with other networks (Share/highlight FixO3 Best Practices document)
OOPC charged Weller, CLIVAR, GSOP and others to develop a high level document describing status and plans for the global sustained observations of fluxes
opportunity to assess the current flux observation strategy and identify needed changes (do they get moved, changed, removed?)
GEO Carbon – Tarasova and Butler

6. Next Steps JCOMM Observations Coordination Group (OCG)
3-4 October 2013
JCOMM Observations Coordination Group (OCG)
Recommends identifying best use of microcats for OS moorings
Invited OceanSITES to continue participating in OCG meetings, still working with DBCP and others on issues of mutual interest (e.g., observing technologies)
Create a more friendly user interface to access OS data using lessons learned from other groups (e.g., THREDDS, ERRDAP)
What will it take to do this?
GEO Carbon – Tarasova and Butler

7. Next steps Where should OceanSITES go from here?
Within U.S., NOAA-funded OceanSITES will undergo a review to seek input from expert reviewers regarding OceanSITES activities, their strategic directions, and needed changes
NOAA welcomes participation from other stakeholders (e.g., international community) in this review

8. Recommendations
Continue organizing special OS sessions and giving presentations at professional meetings (increase awareness and visibility)
Regularly update community via list serve about progress made by members; request “hot items” to share with community; send monthly requests for update
Recommend inviting members of the user community to the next in person meeting to enhance the discussion and understanding with modelers
Pursue DOIs

9. General Funding-related Recommendations
Provide program manager/funding agency advance notice of publications, interviews, uses of OS data – funding agencies can highlight this to their public relations person and in annual reports
Add one or two strong metrics to web site and show progress made
Effectively promote shared, interdisciplinary use of expensive long-term observation platforms and sites
Acknowledge funding agency support, which helps ensure continued funding

10. Recommendations for OceanSITES
Proactive follow through with actions from meeting (perhaps a google action tracker listing point of contact, deadline, and date of completion) – revisit status of action items during each Executive Committee meeting
Develop a survey for the Steering Committee to hear everyone’s voice
Add an education component

11. Include Education materials on website
Focus on the basics –> clear, concise explanations
Adopt a Drifter ---->> Adopt an OceanSITE?
Children’s Science Book about Stratus
FixO3 video