ICOADS: Lessons Learned and Oceanographic Data Linkages

The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) is the largest collection of surface marine in situ observations, spanning 1662 to present, and provides access to a wealth of surface atmospheric elements over the ocean. This presentation will review a number of past innovations in ICOADS data management and quality control. More recently for example, in developing ICOADS Release 3.0 (planned for availability by mid 2016), the benefits of including a more extensive range of near-surface oceanographic parameters alongside surface meteorological parameters are being realized. A new Near-Surface Oceanographic (Nocn) “attachment” to the extensible International Maritime Meteorological Archive (IMMA) format has been developed to include oceanographic elements, such as near-surface salinity and temperature, their associated measurement depths and other selected observational metadata. The inclusion of the oceanographic parameters allows users to locate surface oceanographic and lower atmospheric observations over the ocean within a single dataset and in a common format, for potential uses such as studies of air-sea interactions and coupled ocean-atmosphere model validations. Release 3.0 includes near-surface ocean profile measurements from sources such as the World Ocean Database (WOD 2013). In addition, the Nocn attachment will be used to provide underway surface ocean observations from ships participating in the Shipboard Automated Meteorological and Oceanographic System (SAMOS) and Global Ocean Surface Underway Data (GOSUD) initiatives, and to expand the range of parameters available from moored buoys. An in-depth description of the Nocn attachment, lessons learned during its development, and anticipated uses and advantages for the marine community will be further discussed.