Abstract

The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) is a collection and archive of in situ marine observations, which has been developed over several decades as an international project and recently guided by formal international partnerships and the ICOADS Steering Committee. ICOADS contains observations from many different observing systems encompassing the evolution of measurement technology since the 18th century. ICOADS provides an integrated source of observations for a range of applications, is widely used for the development of research and climate monitoring, and forms the main marine in situ surface data source, e.g. near-surface ocean observations and lower atmospheric marine-meteorological observations from buoys, ships, coastal stations, and oceanographic sensors, for oceanic and atmospheric research and reanalysis. ICOADS has developed ways to incorporate user and reanalyses feedback information associated with permanent unique identifiers, and is also the main repository for data that have been rescued from ships’ logbooks and other marine data digitisation activities. ICOADS has been adopted widely because it provides convenient access to a range of observation types, globally, and through the entire marine instrumental record. ICOADS has for decades provided a secure home for such observations. Because of the increased volume of observations, particularly those available in near-real-time, and an expansion of their diversity, the ICOADS processing system now requires extensive modernisation. Based on user feedback, we will outline the improvements that are required, the challenges to their implementation, and the benefits of upgrading this important and diverse marine archive and distribution activity.

Highlights

  • The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) is a collection and archive of in situ marine observations, which has been developed over several decades as an international project and recently guided by formal international partnerships and the ICOADS Steering Committee

  • ICOADS provides an integrated source of observations for a range of applications including research and climate monitoring, and forms the main marine in situ surface data source, e.g., near-surface ocean observations and lower atmospheric marine-meteorological observations from buoys, ships, coastal stations, and oceanographic sensors, for oceanic and atmospheric research and reanalysis

  • Observations include a range of surface Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) and Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) (Bojinski et al, 2014) from ships, moored and drifting buoys, fixed platforms and other types of measurement platforms

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Summary

ICOADS HISTORY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) Release 3 (R3.0) is the largest collection of surface marine observations spanning from 1662 to the present day (Freeman et al, 2017). Observations include a range of surface Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) and Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) (Bojinski et al, 2014) from ships, moored and drifting buoys, fixed platforms and other types of measurement platforms These individual observations underpin gridded monthly climate summary statistics for sea surface temperature (SST), air temperature, humidity, sea level pressure, wind speed and components, and cloud cover. Since 2017 the European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service has provided funding for the modernization of processing systems for marine climate data (C3S 311a Lot 2: Access to observations from global climate data archives1) This has allowed ICOADS partners (NOC and the Met Office) to develop new systems for QC, harmonize and extend metadata and improve duplicate identification for ICOADS observations. Significant extensions to data formats included a report-level “unique identifier” to support applications with requirements for detailed provenance, and new depth referenced oceanographic data including seawater temperature, salinity, nutrients, oxygen, and dissolved carbon elements from the WOD (Boyer et al, 2013)

DATA ACCESS AND SERVICES
Maintain the Best Features of the Present ICOADS Data System
Modernization of ICOADS
Improving Integration of ICOADS With International Data Systems
Requirements for Enhancements to Global Data Management Systems
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Full Text
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