Comments on the Ocean-related Satellite Needs

Identified in the GCOS Implementation Plan

Stan WilsonSenior Scientist, NOAA/NESDIS

NOAA Climate Observation Program 4th Annual System Review

10-12 May 2006

Ocean-related satellite actions from the: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THE

GLOBAL OBSERVING SYSTEM FOR CLIMATE IN SUPPORT OF THE UNFCCC (October 2004)

• Action O12 – Sea surface height (SSH) • Action A11 – Surface vector winds (SVW) • Action O18 – Ocean color • Action O9 – Sea surface temperature (SST) • Action O23 – Sea ice• Action O16 – Sea surface salinity (SSS)

Where can NOAA make a difference?

• Where can we in NOAA make a difference? – Use that as a basis to prioritize and focus

• For the shorter term, we have been – and will continue to be – dependent on NASA’s remarkable capabilities

• For the longer term, we need to consider NOPESS:– CMIS – for SVW & SST– VIIRS – for Ocean color & SST

– Altimeter option – for SSH • Given the Nunn/McCurdy exercise underway, we won’t

know its impact on NPOESS until completion on June 5• FY08 budget process is considering two options:

– No growth– 5 % cut

NASA Research & NOAA Operations – 1

• Research & operations (R&O) transitioning has been identified as a national issue

• Congressional language in the NOAA FY05 budget:– “Provide NOAA the capability to transition NASA

remote sensed ocean measurements into operational products for the user community”

– Observations explicitly mentioned: “ocean winds from scatterometers,…sea level…from altimeters, and…ocean color”

• $4M R&O earmark was provided in FY05 and again in FY06 – this is the first NOAA funding specifically directed at helping effect the transition of oceanic capabilities from NASA

NASA Research & NOAA Operations – 2

• Congressional language in the FY06 NASA budget directs the establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG)– Chet Koblinsky is NOAA lead (with Louis Uccellini, Tom

Karl & Stan Wilson)– Jack Kaye is NASA lead

• This is a priority for the NOAA Administrator• The JWG will identify an initial set of a half-dozen

capabilities for transitioning, for which initial implementation plans are to be developed this year

• Progress will ultimately depend on success in the budget process – the first opportunity being FY09

Focus and Priorities

• Capabilities includes the full range of activities – space hardware, calibration & validation, communications, ground data system & archival, timely data access, assimilation of data into models, and the generation of associated analyses and forecasts

• While not sufficient, space hardware is a necessary element of the overall capability which NOAA should implement

• This presentation specifically focuses on those aspects for which NOAA needs to take timely action – thus serving as a basis for prioritizing

Action O12 – Sea surface height (SSH) – Ensure continuous coverage from one high-precision altimeter and two lower-precision but higher-resolution altimeters.

• NASA & CNES will implement OSTM/Jason-2 (2008 launch), with NOAA & EUMETSAT doing ground operations

• If the Jason series is to be extended, NOAA & EUMETSAT must take the lead for a Jason-3

• Current possibilities for complementary altimeters include ESA/Sentinel-3, CNES/AltiKa, & NOPESS

In orbit Approved Planned/Pendng Approval

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2-f MR & 66-deg, 10-day, 315-km

98-deg, 35-day, 80-km

ERS-2

ENVISAT

JASON

13 14 15

GMES Sentinel 3

Jason

108-deg, 17-day, 160-km

NPOESS C-3

98-deg, 17-day, 130-km

Jason-3

AltiKa on OceanSat-3

TOPEX-Poseidon

Sea Surface Height

GEOSAT Follow-on

OSTM (Jason-2)

?

Planning for a Jason-3

• NOAA and EUMETSAT have agreed to pursue a Jason-3• Immediate objective is to develop a conceptual approach

for the mission to:– Be presented to EUMETSAT Council this fall for approval– Support FY09 NOAA budget initiative

• Applications and Implementation Working Groups are being established– Ants Leetmaa will be NOAA co-chair of AWG (with Laury Miller)– David Anderson will be involved on the EUMETSAT side

• The Applications Working Group will work with its companion NASA Sea Surface Topography Science Team

Jason-3 Applications Working Groupto address questions such as:

• To what extent are there orbital options – lower altitude and higher inclination – able to resolve major tidal components?

• Together with POD and repeat ground tracks, to what extent could such an orbit extend the coverage initiated by TOPEX/Poseidon without compromising the capability to produce climate-quality data records?

• To what extent are additional altimeters – what type and in which orbit – needed to meet operational needs?

• If a wide-swath altimeter were to be offered for piggyback flight on Jason-3, to what extent could it also meet the needs for observing mesoscale eddies, coastal variability, and rivers & lakes?

Jason-3 Implementation Working Groupto address questions such as:

• Compare and contrast the implementation approaches for a clone of Jason-2 in its same orbit versus one in a lower altitude and higher inclination orbit?

• If a wide-swath altimeter were considered as a piggyback instrument, – What additional spacecraft capabilities would be

needed to facilitate a 100% duty cycle? – To what extent would it represent an added risk

and/or delay to Jason-3?• Identify possibilities for sharing of responsibilities

in implementation.• Help establish ROM mission costs.

Action A11 – Surface vector winds (SVW) – Ensure continuous operation of AM and PM satellite scatterometer or equivalent observations.• NWS operational use of QuikScat SVW – NCEP began

four years ago & WFOs began within past year• ASCAT will launch on METOP later this year, but will

have only ~60% of QuikSCAT swath• While evaluation of WindSat passive polarimetry is not

yet complete, neither passive polarimetry (NPOESS/ CMIS) nor scatterometry (QuikSCAT) will meet all needs

• Further improvements – required to resolve the wind vs. rain ambiguity – will be addressed in a workshop at NHC early next month

• NASA has initiated a study of advanced concepts for scatterometry

Surface Vector Winds

AMI/ERS-2

Seawinds/QuikSCAT

WINDSAT CMIS/NPOESS-C1

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

In orbit Approved Planned/Pendng Approval

CMIS/NPOESS-C2

CMIS/NPOESS-C3

SeaWINDS/ADEOS-II

895 km 1700 km

500 km

1600 km

ASCAT/METOP – 3 satellites

2 x 550 km with 768 km gap

?

Planning for Surface Vector Winds

• NOAA is establishing an Applications Working Group with Bob Atlas as chair (with Paul Chang) to work with its companion NASA SVW Science Team

• Resolution of the wind vs. rain ambiguity will most likely require a two-channel scatterometer with a companion microwave radiometer

• We are working to have NOAA needs factored into the NASA-funded study of advanced concepts for scatterometry

• If this were done, NOAA could be positioned to define a budget initiative appropriate for SVW

Action O18 – Ocean color – Implement plans for a sustained and continuous deployment of ocean color satellite sensors

together with research and analysis. • Space observing capabilities for ocean color are in place • NASA has essentially been providing sole U.S. support

for satellite ocean color (SeaWiFS & MODIS)• NOAA just initiated support for research access to

SeaWiFS global GAC and U.S. LAC data• NPOESS/VIIRS is to serve as the nation’s continuing

source of ocean color observations• But considering climate-quality data records, NOAA lacks

support for:– In-situ calibration capability (included in FY09 initiative with NIST)– Capability for algorithm refinement, routine reprocessing, and

science team (include in initiative for Scientific Data Stewardship)

 

 

MERIS/ENVISAT

MODIS/Terra

MODIS/AQUA

VIIRS/NPP SeaWiFS/SeaStar

OCM/OCEANSAT-2

SGLI/GCOM

OCM/OCEANSAT

FY-3A, B,.. (VIRR/MODI)

In orbit Approved Planned/Pendng Approval

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

Ocean Color

VIIRS/NPOESS-C1

VIIRS/NPOESS-C2

VIIRS/NPOESS-C3?

Action O9 – Sea surface temperature (SST) – Ensure a continuous mix of polar orbiting and geostationary IR measurements

combined with passive microwave coverage. • Space observing capabilities for SST are in place• GHRSST and NOPP provide a direction for SST-related

efforts internationally and nationally• Work is underway to demonstrate improved SST based on

combining IR and microwave observations• But considering climate-quality data records, NOAA lacks

support for a capability for algorithm refinement, routine reprocessing, and science team (include in initiative for Scientific Data Stewardship)

• Some improved SST coordination within NOAA might be helpful (OAR/ESRL; NESDIS/NCDC, NODC, ORA; JCSDA)

Action O23 – Sea ice – Ensure sustained satellite (microwave, SAR, visible and IR) operations.

• A variety of space observing capabilities for sea ice are in place

• Future visible, IR & microwave radiometry to come from VIIRS & CMIS on NPOESS

• Data access – timeliness and cost – is an issue for SAR observations (Radarsat and ENVISAT)

• Ice thickness is a challenge• The same comment can be made regarding

climate-quality data records

Action O16 – Sea surface salinity (SSS) – Research programs to demonstrate feasibility of utilizing satellite data to help resolve global fields of SSS.

• ESA SMOS in 2007 and NASA/CONAE Aquarius in 2009 represent opportunities to demonstrate the utility of satellite determination of SSS

SUMMARYWhere can NOAA make a difference?

• Pursue joint Jason-3 initiative with EUMETSAT in NOAA FY09 budget

• Harmonize NASA/NOAA planning for an improved capability to observe SVW

• Include support for in-situ calibration capability for Ocean Color in NOAA/NIST initiative in FY09

• Include support for oceanic parameters in NOAA initiative for Scientific Data Stewardship

SUMMARYWhere can NOAA make a difference?

• Pursue joint Jason-3 initiative with EUMETSAT in NOAA FY09 budget

• Harmonize NASA/NOAA planning for an improved capability to observe SVW

• Include support for in-situ calibration capability for Ocean Color in NOAA/NIST initiative in FY09

• Include support for oceanic parameters in NOAA initiative for Scientific Data Stewardship

• But these will not happen because of NESDIS – support must come from the NOAA Goal Teams and Line Office Heads

A Sustained, Systematic Global Ocean Observing, Assimilation, Analysis &

Forecasting Capability

KEY SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS

A state variable:

• Surface pressure field – Extend the Jason series of altimetry as a complement to Argo

A boundary condition:

• Surface stress field – Use what exists (QuikSCAT, WindSat, CMIS on NPOESS, ASCAT on METOP) and pursue advanced scatterometry with NASA

A non-physical variable:

• Near-surface chlorophyll – Effect the collection of scientific-quality data records linking SeaWiFS, MODIS, and VIIRS on NPP/NPOESS

Backups

Sea Surface Temperature

AVHRR/NOAA am orbit

AVHRR/NOAA pm orbit

TRMM WINDSAT

VIIRS/NPOESS C1

VIIRS/ C2

ATSR/ERS-2 AATSR/ENVISAT

MODIS/EOS-Terra VIIRS/NPP

MOS/IRS-P3

MODIS/EOS-Aqua

ADEOS-2

HY-1

MSMR/IRS-P4

HY-2

FY-3A, B,.. (VIRR/MODI)FY-1DFY-1C

CBERS-2

ESA GMES S-3

SGLI/GCOM-B1

**Geostationary sats: GOES, MSG important but not shown

AVHRR/EPS(Metop) am orbit

CBERS-4CBERS-2B CBERS-3

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

In orbit Approved Planned/Pendng Approval

                             

Sea Ice (Concentration, Extent, Drift, Thickness)

GODAE

Seawinds/QuikSCAT

VIIRS/NPP

OLS & SSMI/DMSP—AVHRR & AMSU/NOAA

MODIS/EOS-Terra

ALOS L-band

RADARSAT-2 C-band

RADARSAT-3

COSMO-SKYMED X band

HY-1

TERRASAR X bandJERS-1 L band

MODIS & AMSR-E/EOS-Aqua

ICESAT

SMOS

WindSat

CRYOSAT

CMIS/NPOESS-C1

ESA GMES S-3

ESA GMES S-1

ASAR/Envisat C-bandAMI/ERS C-band

RADARSAT-1 C-bandDri

ftT

hic

knes

s

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

In orbit Approved Planned/Pendng Approval

Geoid and Salinity Missions

CHAMP

GRACE

SMOS

GOCE

Gravity/Geoid missions (for absolute circulation)

Salinity

AQUARIUS

97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

In orbit Approved Planned/Pendng Approval

Oersted

SAC-CSwarm