Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array

Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array
Name	Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array
Established	1994

Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array The Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array is a network of moored oceanographic and meteorological sensors deployed across the tropical Pacific to monitor ocean–atmosphere interactions associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, La Niña, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration research programs. The array provides near-real-time observations used by operational centers such as the National Weather Service, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Japan Meteorological Agency, and Bureau of Meteorology for climate monitoring, seasonal forecasting, and verification of satellite missions like TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason (satellite)#Jason-1_and_Jason-2. The system supports interdisciplinary studies linking tropical convection, air–sea fluxes, and equatorial current dynamics relevant to agencies including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

Overview and Purpose

The array was designed to measure upper-ocean temperature, salinity, currents, and surface meteorology to improve understanding of coupled phenomena such as El Niño, La Niña, Walker circulation, and teleconnections affecting North American climate, Australian droughts, and Indian Ocean Dipole impacts on the United Kingdom Met Office forecasts. Data from the array are assimilated into numerical models developed by groups at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology to improve predictions used by World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and national climate services. The TAO Array also underpins observational studies led by investigators from University of Washington, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, San Diego, and National Center for Atmospheric Research.

History and Development

Initial conceptual development occurred during workshops involving scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA, WMO, and research groups at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution following the strong 1982–83 El Niño event and the 1986–88 El Niño event. Funding and operational support coalesced through collaborations among NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, and international partners including Japan Meteorological Agency and French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea. The array achieved baseline deployment in the early 1990s, contemporaneous with satellite missions such as TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1, and was expanded and modernized during programs tied to Climate Variability and Predictability Program initiatives and field campaigns like Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation studies.

Array Design and Instrumentation

The TAO Array consists of moorings at roughly 5°–10° spacing along the equator from the western to eastern Pacific and extended meridional lines near 165°E, 140°W, and 110°W, incorporating instruments from vendors and laboratories associated with Aanderaa Data Instruments, Seabird Electronics, and university groups. Standard instrumentation includes temperature sensors, conductivity cells for salinity from manufacturers used by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, acoustic Doppler current profilers similar to instruments used at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, barometers, anemometers, and radiometers providing surface flux estimates referenced by Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory modelers. Mooring designs evolved to incorporate redundant telemetry and power systems compatible with satellite communications like Argos (satellite system) and Iridium Communications and were influenced by engineering practices from Naval Research Laboratory oceanographic programs.

Data Collection, Processing, and Distribution

Observations are telemetered in near-real-time to processing centers at NOAA and partner institutions where quality control protocols developed by teams at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory are applied. Processed datasets feed into repositories and services maintained by National Centers for Environmental Information, PANGAEA (data publisher), and operational forecasting centers including European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Met Office. The datasets support reanalysis projects like ERA-Interim, ERA5, and model intercomparison efforts coordinated by Coupled Model Intercomparison Project participants at PCMDI and are accessible to investigators at University of Hawaii, University of Miami, and international partners.

Scientific Applications and Contributions

TAO Array observations have been central to advancing understanding of El Niño–Southern Oscillation dynamics, validating satellite altimetry from missions including Jason-3 and Sentinel-3, and elucidating processes in studies led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The array enabled improved seasonal forecasts used by agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology and Japan Meteorological Agency, informed attribution studies cited by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and supported research on equatorial Kelvin waves, Rossby waves, and the Madden–Julian Oscillation pursued by groups at NOAA and National Center for Atmospheric Research. TAO-derived datasets contributed to ocean state estimation systems developed at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and formed a key observational constraint in climate assessments by World Meteorological Organization panels.

Operational Maintenance and International Collaboration

Sustaining the array requires ship-based servicing, component replacement, and international coordination managed by partnerships among NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, and regional agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology and Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (Argentina). Maintenance operations draw on logistics from research vessels such as those operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography and benefit from agreements negotiated through forums including World Meteorological Organization and bilateral science collaborations with institutions like University of the Philippines and Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Ongoing modernization involves integrating sensor advances from Seabird Electronics and satellite telemetry improvements from Iridium Communications to ensure continuity for users at NOAA, ECMWF, and global climate research centers.

Category:Oceanography Category:Climate monitoring