Post on 29-Jan-2016
Explaining the extraordinary: operational oceanography in Australia
David Griffin
Madeleine Cahill, Jim Mansbridge
“Yesterday’s news is today’s fish-and-chips wrapper”
When something extraordinary happens, the number of people interested drops rapidly every day.
In this talk, we’ll discuss how we’ve been satisfying the public demand for ocean information, using data sometimes a week old.
Following talks pickup the thread of ocean forecasting
The infant status of operational oceanography is demonstrated by how we dealt with the following cases
20 deg in winter? Global warming?
Zoom out a bit: WC unusual in Sept
Just a localised anomaly, really.If not global warming, then what?
#2: 15 deg in summer? Please explain
No, its not cold currents from the south
Its just cold water from 300m
Coming up onto the shelf, and the beach
But why? Watch this cyclone develop:
14 Feb
15 Feb
16 Feb
17 Feb
18 Feb
19 Feb
20 Feb
21 Feb
22 Feb
23 Feb
23 Feb zoom in. Cold at Newcastle!
Pansouth
Argo pr1
Argo pr2
Argo profile 1:
Argo profile 2
• Also in February, two very strong (strongest since 1995?) upwellings occurred of SA-Vic.
• Explanation relatively simple, and
• Prediction of a third event proved correct
Adelaide Advertiser:
This has been running for 3yr now. Interest is growing, but:
• quality is decreasing, not increasing
• T/P: finished Oct 2005
• Envisat: USO problem Feb-Jul 2006
• GFO: batteries failing Aug 2006 - present
• Jason: 18d gap in Nov 2006. No more NRTSSHA
How many altimeters does it taketo adequately initialise a forecast?
Thank you