Refreshed Data System for Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Buoy Array

Abstract

The tropical atmosphere ocean/triangle trans-ocean buoy network (TAO/TRITON) moored buoy array is a central component of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Observing System to support research and forecasting of El Nino and La Nina. The present composition of TAO/TRITON consists of 55 TAO legacy ATLAS moorings developed by NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and maintained by NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), 12 TRITON moorings maintained by Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and 5 subsurface acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) moorings (4 maintained by NDBC and 1 by JAMSTEC). During the transition of the TAO array from PMEL to NDBC, it was decided to refresh the TAO system by replacing the obsolete components to ensure ongoing continuity of the TAO array. The major refreshed components include the data logger, underwater conductivity/temperature (CT) sensors, and the compass for measurement of wind direction. Meanwhile, to increase the transmission frequency and transmitted data volume, NDBC decided to use the Iridium communication system for the refreshed TAO system so that high temporal resolution data could be transmitted to NDBC each hour in near real-time. Accordingly, the shore-side data system for data ingest, processing, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), and display were modified and enhanced. Thus, NDBC decided to redesign the data system for the TAO buoy system. This refreshed data system will work with both the legacy TAO buoy system (via Argos) and the refreshed TAO buoy system (via Iridium). This paper presents the refreshed IT architecture and design for both the legacy and refreshed TAO buoy systems. Details of NDBC data management services, which include data acquisition, data quality control, data storage and retrieval functionality, metadata management, and user interfaces for distribution to the public, will be discussed.