GLOSS Global Sea Level Observing System

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GLOSSGlobal Sea Level Observing System

• Sustainable sea level stations an example of an
  multiple hazard, multiple function observation
  and communication system.
• Bernard Kilonsky
• University of Hawaii
• Thorkild Aarup
• Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
• Mark Merrifield
• University of Hawaii
• (Chair GLOSS Group of Experts)

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RESULTS FROM RECENT MEETINGS AND
WORKSHOPS 6 January 2005 - ASEAN leaders in
Jakarta, committed to the organization of a
multi-hazard early warning system for the Indian
Ocean and Southeast Asia. 18-22 January 2005 -
The World Conference on Disaster Reduction,
identified the need was established to quickly
realize an interim basin-wide Indian Ocean
tsunami warning system. Subsequent meetings
organized by UNESCO in Paris and Mauritius
furthered plans and a basic technical design for
the development of the interim Indian Ocean
Tsunami Warning System in the Indian Ocean. 20-21
April 2005 - The 2nd Experts Consultation Meeting
for the Establishment of a Regional End-to-end
Multi-hazard Early Warning System in Southeast
Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, produced recommendations
for finalization of the technical design of the
Southeast Asia Tsunami Warning System. UNESCOs
IOC proposed upgrading the existing near
real-time Global Sea Level Observing System
(GLOSS) stations and installing new near
real-time GLOSS stations near tsunamigenic zones
where early detection is the highest priority.
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How Are GLOSS Stations Used?

• Satellite altimeters need to be calibrated using
  in situ sea level gauges
• Continuity and low cost. We need the GLOSS
  network for global ocean dynamics studies and
  monitoring variability (ENSO, EL NINO)
• Long mean sea level (MSL) records needed for
  climate change studies (e.g. for IPCC)
• Many coastal applications, tides, engineering.
  People live at the coast, not in the deep ocean.
• Long records of higher frequency climate change
  (e.g. changes in storm surge statistics)
• Higher frequency sampling important for storm
  and tsunami monitoring and warning.

Acoustic Gauge in Australia
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Many GLOSS sites report real-time high frequency
sea level information on an hourly transmission
cycle to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
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GLOSS IN SITU SEA LEVEL DATA
A WHITE CROSS indicates retransmission to
PTWC via WMOs GTS 81 sites with hourly
real-time data, 40 additional sites with hourly
fast data 43 sites ns with hourly data later than
1999, 15 sites with hourly data before 1999 48
sites with monthly data later than 1999, and 64
sites with monthly data before 1999.
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GLOSS Sea Level Sites
A WHITE CROSS indicates retransmission to PTWC
via WMOs GTS 4 GLOSS sites with 15 minute
real-time data transmissions 11 GLOSS
sites with hourly real-time data
transmissions
http//ilikai.soest.hawaii.edu
/uhslc/IOTd
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December 2004 tsunami travel times in
hours and minutes, tide gauges
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GLOSS IOTWS Station
Independent power/communications Fault-tolerant
redundant sensors Local logging and readout of
data Routine leveling information Warning center
event trigger Local observers
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Salalah, Oman, December 2004 GMT, cm
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Salalah, Oman, March 2005 GMT, cm
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Salalah, Oman, March 2005 GMT, cm
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Male, Maldives, December 2004 GMT cm
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Male, Maldives, March 2005 GMT cm
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Typical GTS message from tsunami enabled in situ
sea level station SXXX32 EUMS 132003ID 165B3038
1319591884.8 1884.2 1885.7 1885.8 1885.4 1885.6
1885.7 1886.5 1885.8 1884.4 1884.2 1884.9 1884.6
1884.8 1885.9 1885.5 1884.9 1885.3 1886.1 1886.6
1885.6 1885.0 1885.2 1886.2 1884.8 1884.2 1883.6
1882.8 1882.4 1884.91059 1062 1066 1083 1110
1102 1084 1099 1098 11023483 3520 3534 3519 3532
3494 3496 3494 3504 3516 3508 3521 3496 3507 3486
3494 3492 3482 3501 3497 3496 3490 3491 3498 3497
3492 3491 3496 3497 35091017.100 00 00 0000 00
00 0012.534.6
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SXXX32 EUMS 132018lt- GTS header ID 165B3038
132014lt- pid jdyhrmn1885.5 1884.9 1885.3 1886.1
1886.6 1885.6 1885.0 1885.2 1886.2 1884.8 1884.2
1883.6 1882.8 1882.4 1884.9 1885.8 1886.8 1886.5
1884.8 1883.9 1885.9 1888.5 1889.1 1888.7 1888.6
1886.8 1883.8 1882.6 1883.8 1885.3lt- 1mn
cycle 1062 1066 1083 1110 1102 1084 1099 1098
1102 1103lt- 15mn cycle3494 3496 3494 3504 3516
3508 3521 3496 3507 3486 3494 3492 3482 3501 3497
3496 3490 3491 3498 3497 3492 3491 3496 3497 3509
3492 3495 3479 3476 3511lt- 3mn cycle1017.1lt-
atmospheric pressure hr ave.00 00 00 00lt-00 00
00 00lt- reference level switch12.5lt- battery
voltage 34.4lt- solar panel
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What else does GLOSS offer?

• Global data standards and archiving facilities
  with QC of data
• Training courses on analysis uses of sea level
  observations
• Technical expert visits
• Technical manuals and training material
• Special workshops on technical issues
  (i.e. How to operate a gauge in harsh ocean
  environments New technical developments in sea
  and land level observations)
• Provision of gauges
• Assistance with development of proposals for
  upgraded tide gauge hardware

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• The existing infrastructure and expertise in
  the collection of in situ sea level information
  available through GLOSS in terms of field
  operations, training programs, and data centers.
  GLOSS STATIONS ARE BEING UPGRADED FOR REGIONAL
  TSUNAMI WARNING.
• Many GLOSS sites are already using
  geostationary satellites and the WMOs GTS to
  provide data for tsunami monitoring and warning
  to PTWC JMA. IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, 4 STATIONS
  ARE ALREADY REPORTING DATA ON A 15 MINUTE CYCLE
  AND 11 ON A 1 HOUR CYCLE.
• GLOSS provides the added sustainability and
  importance of an ocean observing system tailored
  to meet the needs of all (i.e., multiple use
  stations). SEA LEVEL DATA FROM GLOSS ARE BEING
  USED IN STUDIES OF GLOBAL SEA LEVEL, OCEAN
  DYNAMICS, TIDES, SATELLITE ALTMETRY, COASTAL
  ENGINEERING AND DATUMS, NAVIGATION, AND
  MONITORING STORM SURGE AND TSUNAMI.
• The value of GLOSS sea level stations as
  already demonstrated during the Indian Ocean and
  other tsunamis. THE MARCH 2005 TSUNAMI WARNING
  WAS DOWNGRADED USING DATA FROM GLOSS IN SITU SEA
  LEVEL SITES.
• .

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STATEMENT - GLOSS Group of Experts 9th
Meeting Paris, 24/25 February 2005   - The
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
established the Global Sea Level Observing
System (GLOSS) in 1985 to o Improve the
quantity and quality of sea level data
provided to the Permanent Service for Mean Sea
Level in the U.K., principally as
input to studies of long-term sea
level change, and o Provide the key data
needed for international research
programs, such as the World Ocean Circulation
Experiment and later, the Climate
Variability and Predictability
Program, and the climate and coastal
modules of the Global Ocean Observing System.
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- GLOSS has defined a Core Network of tide
gauges of approximately 300 stations
distributed along continental coastlines and
throughout each of the world's island
groups at the present time, the Core
Network has grown to the extent that
o During the past four years, over half of the
stations have reported data, and
o Half of those stations regularly report
high-frequency (from 2 to 6 minutes)
data in real time (within one hour). -
During its 22nd Session in June 2003, the IOC
Assembly called on the Member States to
provide data from stations in accordance with the
GLOSS Implementation Plan (1997), and
support the recommendations of the GLOSS
Adequacy Report, upgrading GLOSS stations to
the extent possible for the delivery of real-time
data (Decision 4.4.5).  
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- GLOSS is committed to transform and sustain
its Core Network as an operational global
network of sea level gauges. o GLOSS will
do this by working with and through the
Member States of the IOC. o GLOSS data
are provided without restriction for all to
use. o By operational, GLOSS
envisions a network operating on a
24/7 basis to provide data with sufficient
frequency of sampling and sufficient
timeliness of reporting to meet the
needs of the broad community of users of sea
level data.
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- These needs for sea level data include, but
are not limited to o Estimating global
sea level rise o Establishing datums for
topography and bathymetry o Estimating
flow through straits and passages
o Characterizing coastal expressions of phenomena
like ENSO o Supporting coastal
engineering needs o Calibrating
satellite altimetry o Determining tidal
components for prediction o Supporting
safe navigation and harbor activities
o Measuring and predicting storm surges
o Supporting tsunami warning  
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• In its effort to complete the Core Network,
  GLOSS stands ready to
• work with specific users to identify
  observational requirements such
• as station location, frequency of sampling,
  and timeliness of reporting
• associated with meeting their needs for sea
  level data to the extent
• that there are additional costs associated
  with meeting their needs,
• GLOSS will work with those users to ensure
  that the additional funds
• are secured.

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- The Communiqué Relating to Support for
Tsunami and Multi-Hazard Warning Systems
within the Context of the Global Earth
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) was
adopted on 16 February 2005 at the Third Earth
Observations Summit in Brussels. o This
Communiqué notes that disaster reduction is a
high priority area that will be
addressed in the GEOSS Ten- Year
Implementation Plan and within the framework of
T he International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction. o Given this
Communiqué, as well as considering the
developing UN International Early
Warning Program, GLOSS is interested
in making the operational capability
of its Core Network available as a basic element
of GEOSS, especially to meet the
needs for disaster reduction.
o In so doing, GLOSS can contribute to the
realization of effective tsunami
warning systems in the Indian Ocean,
Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, and other
regions of the world, as an integral
part of a multi-hazard aspect of GEOSS.

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- In this context, GLOSS is prepared to work
with the International Coordinating Group for
the Pacific Tsunami Warning System (ICG/PTWS)
and others as appropriate as the capability for
tsunami warning expands to the globe to
define requirements for new, and/or upgrades
to existing, GLOSS stations.