NOAA GLOBAL OBSERVING SYSTEMS

NOAA has contributed significantly to the national and global observing systems, especially those pertaining to the oceans and atmosphere. NOAA’s geostationary and polar orbiting satellites provide continuous coverage of North and South America and its adjoining oceans 24-hours a day, and these space assets are complimented by an extensive surface network of towers, balloons, buoys, ships and aircraft. NOAA is also working hard to evaluate how these systems can fit into a larger global Earth observing system.

NOAA Satellites

• NOAA’s two polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are already providing critical ocean data. NOAA is also working with the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA on future polar satellite system, the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. Nearly a third of this future satellite’s data stream will address ocean requirements, such as sea surface temperature, sea surface heights, sea ice distribution, even ocean color.
• The NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service provides key capabilities for communications and data management for operational observing systems.

Other NOAA Observing Systems

• Data from the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project array helps to identify the recurrence of El Niño.
• NOAA has the nation's oldest coastal observation program, which began in 1807 to produce nautical charts of our coastal waters.
• The NOAA Coastal Services Center has begun an inventory of existing regional coastal observing systems. These regional observing systems employ many different data collection platforms, such as moored and drifting buoys, meteorological towers and stations, bottom-moored instruments, stand-alone instruments, ship survey cruises, satellite imagery and remotely and autonomously operated vehicles. Some of these regional systems are primarily research systems and others are primarily operational. Some of the components are NOAA-owned and operated and many others are not. These types of inventories indicate that there are already a lot of systems out there, although they are not well coordinated.
• The NOAA National Water Level Observation Network, which consists of 190 stations nation wide. This system serves as a backbone for a coastal observing system since it is located along the coastal United States.
• In an attempt to create a coordinated, integrated national network consistent with the principles of national federation of regional coastal observing systems, the NOAA Coastal Services Center has established the Coastal Observation Technology System. Seven organizations around the United States currently receive funding from NOAA with the goal of creating a model for an integrated coastal observing network using their existing regional observing systems as the components.
• The NOAA Ocean Service has also developed the Physical Oceanographic Real Time System, which is providing the maritime community with valuable information in specific U.S. ports. This system is important to the marine transportation system.
• The NOAA National Weather Service's National Data Buoy Center operates the largest and most diverse national marine observation system. This system uses data obtained through moored and drifting buoys, ARGO floats, voluntary observing ships and coastal monitoring sites. A higher density of observations in ocean areas helps the NOAA National Weather Service improve its forecast capabilities on the high seas, offshore and coastal areas, as well as improve numerical prediction models for providing better global forecasts.
• Two of NOAA's programs — Global Climate Observing System and Global Ocean Observing System — have been working with the Integrated Global Observing Strategy partners and others to design and implement a multipurpose global observing system.
• NOAA weather and climate products and services have moved beyond traditional uses in an effort to further the development of an Earth observation system. For example, the Solar X-ray Imager on NOAA’s most recent geostationary satellite was designed to provide space weather forecasters with real-time images of the sun’s explosive atmosphere. This new instrument is helping the NOAA Space Environment Center to issue timely warnings when solar activity might harm billions of dollars worth of commercial and government assets in space and on land. NOAA also now has a “Degree Heating Week” product that provides up-to-date, accurate and reliable information to monitor the long-term effects of heat stresses on several coral reefs throughout the world.
• Observing systems included in the NOAA FY05 budget include: NOAA’s Environmental Satellites, Ocean Observing Systems, Next Generation Weather Radar system, Automated Surface Observing System and Coastal-Global Observing Systems.