AST-12 meeting report posted - Argo

project. J. Bardeem suggested that the AST members work within Argo to construct a
resolution and then raise it within their own country’s IOC delegation.
5 Data Management Issues
5.1 Feedback from ADMT-11
S. Wijffels reported on the ADMT-11 meeting for S. Pouliquen and M. Ignaszewski. Overall,
Argo’s data management infrastructure is stable, but requires monitoring tools at the AIC,
GDAC, and ARC levels and requires man power at the DACs to correct the detected anomalies.
The current ADMT efforts are focused on reducing the delays, delayed mode quality control,
improving data consistency and completeness and detection and correction of systematic
errors/biases.
The real time data stream is working well with 91% of data on the GTS within 24 hours. DACs
are transitioning to BUFR data transmissions and should be done by the end of 2011.
Additional manual QC checks have proven to be very effective at removing egregious errors in
the real time version of the dataset. The delayed mode data stream is about 70-80% quality
controlled at most DACs except in Korea. The pressure offset correction and TNPD
identification was recognized as the highest priority for DM operators. Much work has been
done on this, but it still needs to be finished. The technical file name standardization has gone
very well and the next task will be to do the same standardization for the metadata files. M.
Belbeoch and E. van Wijk will lead this effort. The DM file checker is still under validation at the
US GDAC. Its completion is critical to reduce the submission of DM files with anomalies.
The next priority for the ADMT will be trajectory data. A clean-up/consistency check is under
way with collaboration between M. Ollitrault / JP Rannou and the DACs for data through 2009.
Another mechanism is required to complete the DMQC and maintain high quality delayed mode
trajectory files. A first run to check the status of the trajectory files was done by M. Scanderbeg.
Several DACs are filling information inconsistent with the data manual. It was also noted that
additional timing information is needed in order to make velocity calculations. A team of
scientists is being set up to define what is needed in the trajectory files in order to make the best
possible calculation of surface and subsurface ocean velocity. The group will provide
refinements to the traj.nc files and will try to work with float manufacturers to see if all important
data for velocity calculations can be sent back by the floats. It was recognized that a workshop
for DACs and operators engaged in preparing traj.nc files should be organized.
No ARC meetings were held this year in conjunction with the ADMT meeting. Some actions
have progressed, but most of the ARCs are short on funding. Some new products have been
developed and should be added to the table maintained by M. Scanderbeg on the AST website.
In Europe, many activities have progressed within the EuroArgo project. Some ARCs have set
up monitoring tools and are providing the ATC with the results. Claudia Schmidt will continue
monitoring the action item list and animating communication between ARCs.
The ADMT had two recommendations that should by carried by the AST to the scientific
community:
Communicate to the scientific community that not all profilers are Argo or Argo
equivalent. If a user has a profiler with an Argo WMO number, the user must notify it
through the AIC to be consistent with the IOC resolution.
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