EARTH OBSERVATIONS

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EARTH OBSERVATIONS A NOAA Perspective
Presenters Mary E. KiczaAssistant Administrator
for Satellite and Information Services Zdenka S.
WillisDirector, Integrated Ocean Observing
System, National Ocean Service Kevin J. Schrab,
PhDChief, Observing Services Division, National
Weather Service Stephen K. Brown, PhDChief,
Assessment and Monitoring Division, National
Marine Fisheries Service March 16, 2009
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NOAAs Vision and Mission

• NOAAs Vision
• An informed society that uses a comprehensive
  understanding of the role of the oceans, coasts,
  and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make
  the best social and economic decisions
• NOAAs Mission
• To understand and predict changes in the Earths
  environment and conserve and manage coastal and
  marine resources to meet the Nations economic,
  social, and environmental needs

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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NOAA Services are Responsive to Societal Needs
Climate
Oceans and Marine Life
Coasts
Monitoring and responding to climate change and
its impacts
Sustaining the Nations fisheries and ocean
ecosystems
Reducing the economic and societal impacts of
coastal hazards, habitat loss, and coastal
pollution
High Impact Weather and Water
Transportation
Saving lives and property from damaging weather
and water events
Supporting a safe, efficient and robust
transportation system
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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NOAA0bserving from the Ocean Floor to the Suns
Surface
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Value of Earth Observations

• Better Information for Better
  Decision Making
• Prediction
• Worldwide agricultural benefits of better El Niño
  forecasts
  are conservatively
  estimated at 450-550million/year
• U.S. average annual hurricane damage is 5.1
  billion and 20 deaths
• Prevention
• More than 90 of natural disaster-related deaths
  occur in
  developing countries
• Since 1900, over 200 tsunami events have caused
  500 deaths
• and 186 million in damages in the U.S. and its
  territories
• Preparedness
• More than 50 of the worlds population lives
  within 60 km of
  the shoreline this
  could rise to 75 by the year 2020
• Protect and Manage Resources
• Approximately 1,890 species are listed under the
  Endangered
• Species Act
• 125 Species are managed under the Marine Mammal
  Protection Act

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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NOAAs Earth Observing Systems
Space-Based
Ocean-Based
Land-Based
Air-Based
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NOAAs Current Earth Observing Systems

• Ships18 NOAA owned and operated vessels
• Aircraft14 NOAA owned and operated planes
• Buoysmore than 19 separate systems worldwide
  (exceeding 3400 buoys)
• Radars121 weather radars
• Surface Weather and Climate Systems
• NWS Automated Surface Observing System (312)
• Surface-based Climate Networks (gt1000)
• U.S. Climate Reference Network (114)
• U.S. Historical Climate Network (1221)
• Upper Air Systems
• Weather balloons (92 sites) and 35 wind profilers
  
• Dropped sensors from aircraft (tracking
  hurricanes and other marine storms)
• Research Systems
• Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
• Unmanned Aircraft Systems
• Satellites16 meteorological satellites in 3
  separate constellations
• Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental
  Satellites - Last POES (NOAA-19) was launched
  February 6, 2009
• Geostationary Operational Environmental
  Satellites - GOES-O scheduled to be launched in
  April 2009

NOAAs diverse workforce provides crucial
value-added interpretation and analysis of data
collected from these observing systems
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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Mandates and Policy Drivers

• Directive Authorities
• Weather Service Organic Act
• Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
  Management Act
• Marine Mammal Protection Act
• Endangered Species Act
• Coastal Zone Management Act
• National Marine Sanctuaries Act
• Hydrographic Services Improvement Act
• Tsunami Warning and Education Act
• ..
• External Recommendations
• U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
• Ocean Action Plan
• Joint Ocean Commission
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

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GEO and USGEO Overview

• Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
• Membership consists of 76 countries and the
  European Commission, over 56 participating
  organizations and observers
• Earth Observation Ministerial Summit held every 3
  years, GEO Plenary every year, and GEO Executive
  Committee 3 times per year
• GEO is governed by an Executive Committee,
  Plenary, Secretariat, and 4 Committees
• Next GEO Plenary is planned for Washington, D.C.,
  in November 2009
• U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO)
• Currently 25 participating U.S. Government
  Department and Agency members including 2 White
  House offices
• Standing subcommittee of the National Science and
  Technology Council Committee on Environment and
  Natural Resources
• 5 functional groups full committee meets monthly
  
• Global Earth Observation System of Systems
  (GEOSS)
• Improves coordination of strategies and
  observation systems
• Links all platforms in situ, aircraft, and
  satellite networks
• Identifies gaps in our global capacity
• Facilitates exchange of data and information
• Improves decision makers abilities to address
  pressing policy issues

Unifying Principle The Global Earth Observation
System of Systems (GEOSS)
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NOAAs PartnershipsKey GEOSS Example U.S. IOOS

• IOOS contains the following
• Global Component
• Coastal Component
• 17 Federal Agencies
• 11 Regional Associations
• Initial IOOS activities include
• Regional data integration
• Building a Data Integration Framework
• Observing the Global Ocean for Climate

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NOAAs Measurements/Products

• Atmosphere
• Surface
• Upper-Air
• Ocean
• Surface
• Sub-surface
• Space and Solar
• Marine Ecosystems
• Fishery Independent and Dependent Data
• Plankton Surveys
• Protected Resource Surveys
• Environmental Data Management

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Atmosphere (Surface)

• Benefits
• Severe storms and weather forecast (hurricane,
  tornado, flash flood)
• Drought monitoring
• Climate monitoring
• Pollution/air quality
• Transportation (air, surface marine)

• Measurements
• Pressure/temperature/moisture
• Precipitation
• Wind/visibility
• Soil moisture
• Surface radiation flux
• Aerosols
• Greenhouse gases
• Ozone-depleting gases

• Observing Platforms
• Remote-Sensing
• Satellites/aircraft
• Radars
• In Situ
• Surface weather networks
• Surface-based climate networks (U.S. Climate
  Reference Network)
• Cooperative Observer Network (citizens)
• Ships/buoys

• Strategic Emphasis
• Sustaining and upgrading aging surface climate
  weather networks
• ASOS IT upgrade modernizing the Historical
  Climate Network
• Carbon Tracker
• NEXRAD Dual Polarization upgrade
• Snow surveys
• Air quality for human health

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Atmosphere (Upper-Air)

• Measurements
• Pressure
• Temperature
• Water vapor
• Wind
• Clouds
• Aerosols
• Volcanic ash
• Stratospheric ozone

• Benefits
• Severe storms and weather forecast (hurricane,
  tornado, flash flood)
• Climate monitoring
• Aviation efficiency and safety

• Observing Platforms
• Remote-Sensing
• Satellites
• Radar Wind Profilers
• GPS weather application measurements
• In Situ
• Weather/climate balloons
• Aircraft (manned and unmanned)
• Ships

• Strategic Emphasis
• Volcanic ash
• Aviation hazard
• Carbon Tracker
• Ozone depletion monitoring
• Expand upper atmosphere winds detection
• Ground and space LIDAR techniques

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Ocean (Surface)

• Benefits
• Marine transportation
• Climate monitoring forecasting
• Hurricane/storm response
• Harmful algal bloom detection
• Fishery management
• Coral conservation/restoration
• Human health/hypoxia
• Ecosystem assessments
• Coasts and Great Lakes

• Measurements
• Temperature
• Sea level - altimetry/seastate/waves
• Winds
• Color
• Nutrients/contaminants/pathogens
• Tides/currents/sea ice
• Air-sea exchange of CO2
• Marine debris
• Turbidity/sediment

• Observing Platforms
• Remote-Sensing
• Satellites
• Coastal high frequency current radars
• In Situ
• Ship/buoy
• Aircraft/autonomous vehicles
• Real-time ocean information
• Tide gauges
• Port observing systems

• Strategic Emphasis
• Expand ocean color observations
• Reviewing alternatives for long-term continuity
• Continuity of remote sensing ocean observations
• Consideration of continuity for system
  acquisition decisions

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Ocean (Sub-Surface)

• Benefits
• Marine transportation
• Climate monitoring forecasting
• Fishery management
• Coral conservation/restoration
• Storage global transfer of heat
• Sea level rise/tsunami warnings
• Ocean carbon
• Ecosystem assessments

• Measurements
• Hazard assessment-clear passage
• Bathymetry/sediments
• Ocean acidification
• Nutrients and contaminants
• Ocean profiles of
• Temperature
• Salinity
• Currents

• Observing Platforms
• Remote-Sensing
• SONAR depth mapping
• In Situ
• Ships/buoys/Argo floats
• Certified divers
• Autonomous underwater vehicles
• Real-time ocean information

• Strategic Emphasis
• Expanded hazard detection
• Ship recapitalization plan and ship operating
  days
• Tsunami Warning Buoys
• National Water Level Observation Network
  Physical Oceanographic Real Time System (PORTS)
• Divers install and maintain components

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Space and Solar

• Benefits
• Aviation
• Power industry
• Satellite health and safety
• Astronaut safety
• GPS navigation uncertainty
• Telecommunication

• Measurements
• Solar winds/storms
• Energetic particles (radiation)
• Auroral energy deposition
• Ionosphere characterization
• Solar flares/corona mass ejections
• Radio bursts
• Geomagnetic fields

• Strategic Emphasis
• Power grid impacts
• Continuity of solar winds/storms detection
• Studies of alternatives for solar wind instrument
  in progress

• Observing Platforms
• Remote-Sensing
• Satellites
• Surface observatories
• In Situ
• Satellites

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Marine Ecosystems

• Measurements
• Abundance and distribution of living marine
  resources (LMR)
• Monitor fishery catch and bycatch
• Evaluate recovery of threatened and endangered
  species
• Assess status of marine ecosystems
• Evaluate health of coral other habitats
• Monitor effects of ocean acidification

• Benefits
• Fishery management
• Health of LMRs and their habitat
• Recovering endangered species
• Coral health
• Effect of ocean acidification and other climate
  impacts
• Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs)

• Observing Platforms
• Ships
• Aircraft
• Buoys
• Autonomous and remotely-controlled vehicles
• Satellites
• Animal tagging
• Fishery-dependent modes of observation (e.g.,
  observers, video)

• Strategic Emphasis
• Developing annual catch limits
• Rebuilding fish stocks
• Protecting and conserving protected species
• Habitat characterization and mapping

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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Environmental Data Management

• Benefits
• Weather and water
• Climate
• Ecosystems
• Commerce and transportation

• Requirements
• Accessibility
• Discoverability
• Usability
• Integration
• Preservation/reuse

• Approaches/Systems
• Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System
  (CLASS)
• Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System
• Global Earth Observations-Integrated Data
  Environment
• Integrated Ocean Observing System Data
  Integration Framework
• National Integrated Drought Information
  System/climate portals

• Strategic Emphasis
• Access to long-term archives
• Applying CLASS to address large
• data records
• Addressing increased information volume and
  diversity
• Developing high performance computing plan
• Gaps in environmental data records
• Integration of observations and products

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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Summary

• Earth observations are a critical element of
  NOAAs mission
• NOAA has a broad mission--requires extensive
  observing systems
• NOAA leads U.S. Government in operational Earth
  observing systems
• Demand for Earth observations continues to grow
• NOAA must continue to invest in EO to ensure the
  Nation has access to crucial observations in the
  future

Final Presentation will be posted
online www.legislative.noaa.gov/policybriefs.html
"
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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Conclusion

• NOAA cannot achieve its Mission to
  Understand and Predict without a sustainable,
  robust Earth observation system

Image description Sea surface temperature (SST)
during El Nino in 1997
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BACKUP SLIDES
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NOAAs Geospatial Foundation
NOAAs National Spatial Reference System provides
the solid thread that weaves through all of
NOAAs observation systems. The positional
framework it provides is integral to supporting
the agencys and the Nations data collection and
validation efforts.
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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NOAAs Areas of Strategic Emphasis

• ShipsRecapitalization Plan
• AircraftRecapitalization Plan
• BuoysRecapitalization Plan Phase 1and 2
• Radars
• Dual-Polarization
• Multi-function Phased Array
• Wind Profiler Network
• Satellite
• Continuity and Research to Operations (R2O)
• Surface Weather and Climate Systems
• Historical Climate Network Modernization
• U.S. Climate Reference Network sustainment
• Surface weather sensor sustainment
• Upper Air Systems
• Climate Reference Radiosonde
• GPS improved resolution upgrade
• Fishery Dependent Systems
• National Observer Program/Fisheries Information
  System/Port Sampling System
• Socio-economic surveys

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
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Subsurface Ocean Example Climate Monitoring
Global Ocean Heat
The Ocean has potential to store 1000 times more
Heat than the Atmosphere.
Warming ocean water expands, leading to Sea Level
Rise
World Ocean Heat Content
Measuring Ocean Temperature with buoys, ships,
Argo profiling floats, and satellites
Deploying an Argo Float
One month of Subsurface Temperature observations
from the Global Ocean Observing System. NOAA
provides 48 of the platforms in this
international system.
How Argo Floats work
Ocean Climate Reference Station
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)