| HOW
THE PROJECT WORKS:DATA SOURCES
The information necessary to provide operational oceanographic
forecasts includes:
- surface conditions (surface winds)
- sea surface height
- ocean temperatures
- salinity
- ocean currents
Primary data sources are:
- historical information obtained since about 1900, but
mostly from the recent decades
- ARGO profiling floats
- expendable bathythermographs (XBTs) deployed from "Ships
of Opportunity
- surface drifting instruments
- sea level and tidal data
- satellites
- sea surface height data from Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1,
and ERS-2 altimeters
- sea surface temperatures from polar orbiting platforms
and microwave instruments
- surface wind estimates from scatterometers and via
numerical weather models
- sea-ice extent
As part of the BLUElink> initiative, the Bureau
of Meteorology will develop a database and server for incoming
data (local, regional, global telecommunications), and for
the provision of these data to models and scientists involved
in the development of the analysis and forecast systems. An
archival and retrieval product database and server, including
Internet access to digital and graphical information, will
be implemented to enable delivery of the derived fields and
other relevant product to users.
For additional information see:
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