2. Drivers
and Trends for SOCD Research
2.6 Strategic Priorities
Strategic Priorities represent challenges to establishing NOAA capacities
for satellite ocean remote sensing. Each Technology Area and Science Team
has a fundamental role in enabling the capacities.
2.6.1 Research to Operations
Research to Operations encompasses a spiral process for developing and
maintaining end-to-end operational science, employing a user requirement
framework in conjunction with a satellite ocean remote sensing knowledge
base, technology and product development, a utilization scheme, and
feedback and refinement for further definition of requirements and
development. The Research to Operations Priority encompasses operational,
as well as developmental, data streams. The data and product streams are
designed to meet user requirements and fulfill NOAA's mission and
strategic objectives by developing, building, and providing the capacity
for satellite ocean remote sensing data products and services, consistent
with IOOS and GOOS frameworks. To this end, NOAA and NASA have embarked on
a concerted effort to transition NASA research to NOAA operations,
initially focusing on altimetry, scatterometry, and ocean color. 
Transitioning these
data streams requires also transitioning associated calibration and
validation capabilities and capacities. Future opportunities may also
include sea-surface salinity and interferometric synthetic aperture radar
following the launch and validation of the NASA's Aquarius mission and
approval of InSAR. NOAA satellite ocean remote sensing activities also
require transition to operations in order to fulfill mission and user
requirements.
Figure 6. Transitioning products and processes from research to
operations is a cyclical process.
NOAA CoastWatch/OceanWatch is the vehicle for transitioning
developmental satellite ocean remote sensing processes, products, and
services into operational status and is the NESDIS focus for definition,
development, and support of operational satellite remote sensing functions
in NOAA. NOAA CoastWatch/OceanWatch partners with other NOAA elements,
forming a regional node structure to implement operational satellite ocean
remote sensing within NOAA. This structure parallels and will support the
planned structure for the IOOS and its Regional Associations.
Future satellite applications for planned operational capabilities
(NPOESS, GOES-R, JASON 2, and IJPS) are given exposure for community
feedback and user capacity building in the form of new experimental
products. Education and outreach, consequently, constitute a significant
component of this strategic priority, with the goal to familiarize the
public with satellite ocean remote sensing data, facilitate its
interpretation, and expand its use. NOAA CoastWatch/OceanWatch and CIOSS
provide the focus for SOCD's education and outreach efforts.
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2.6.2 Fundamental Research
Office of Research and Applications pioneered a number of highly
successful heritage remote sensing products from the operational POES and
GOES series over ocean. We will continue to serve as the "corporate
memory" for existing products, and continue fundamental cutting edge
research into development of new remote sensing methodologies with the
heritage platforms and sensors. We will also actively participating in
shaping new remote sensing missions, sensors, and retrieval methodologies
from them.
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2.6.3 Quality Assurance, Calibration, and Validation
The calibration of satellite instruments and the quality
control/assurance and validation of their data and products are
fundamental necessities for ensuring data precision, accuracy,
representativeness, and quality. The main objective of the
calibration/validation strategic priority is to provide satellite ocean
remote sensing observations with defined uncertainties to the operational
and scientific communities, which will be achieved by developing,
monitoring, and maintaining uncertainty budgets. These activities are
critical for the appropriate and effective assimilation of satellite data
into numerical models and the inclusion of satellite data in climate data
records. In addition to the initial certification of new satellites
(NPOESS, JASON-2, GOES-R), operational satellites, require ongoing
evaluation of algorithms, data, and products to ensure requirements and
specifications continue to be met, despite any changes of instrument
operating characteristics.
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2.6.4 Data Assimilation
Data assimilation provides a crucial link in transforming satellite
ocean remote sensing observations into information for decision makers.
Satellite data assimilation enhances the representativeness of the initial
conditions and forcings used in numerical atmosphere and ocean models,
thereby improving model skill and the analyses and predictions used by
decision makers. The current challenge is data assimilation for separate
atmosphere and ocean models. The future challenge is data assimilation for
coupled ocean-atmosphere models. Data assimilation provides data fusion
for observations from combinations of multiple instruments/satellites and
in-situ observations, yielding "best value" analyses
This strategic priority directly aligns with and contributes to the
efforts of the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) to
improve near-real-time and climatological forecasts. SOCD's role in data
assimilation is to provide relevant data sets, along with the data
uncertainties and the physics and algorithms used to obtain the
retrievals.
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2.6.5 Climate
The ocean component of the coupled ocean-atmosphere system responds to
and influences climate variability while slowly reflecting climate change.
These signatures, in turn, influence and drive the coupled ocean-
atmosphere system. Because of the high heat capacity of water, while
climate variability signals may be relatively large, e.g. El Niño,
climate change signals in the ocean tend to be small, yet significant.
Consequently, climate data records need to be precise and accurate,
creating technological and scientific challenges to adequately measuring
climate change over shorter time scales. Satellite ocean remote sensing
provides a capability for evaluating climate-relevant parameters
consistently on a global scale. Current climate-relevant satellite ocean
remote sensing parameters include sea-surface height (global sea-level
rise and thermal content), sea-surface temperature, sea-ice, ocean surface
winds, and ocean color. It is important to establish climate data records
for climate relevant parameters as soon as possible in order to have
significant time-series for climate-related analyses and decisions. As
science and technology evolve and improve, as well as through the
acquisition of new information/data, existing climate data records need to
be updated to reflect the best possible observation retrievals. Developing
and maintaining accurate climate data records on a regional and global
time-scale enable developing seasonal to interannual forecasts, assessing
global sea level rise, and evaluating climate change, all key objectives
of the NOAA Climate Mission Goal.
Dept. of Commerce • NOAA • NESDIS • STAR • Last revised: June 17, 2013