Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC)
The "International Workshop on Ocean Climate Variations from Seasons to Decades with Special Emphasis on Pacific Ocean Buoy Network" was held from 29-31 May 1996, in Mutsu, Aomori-prefecture, Japan, prior to the Fifth-CLIVAR SSG in Sapporo. The workshop was hosted by the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) and co-sponsored by the Science and Technology Agency of Japan, Mutsu City, the Nippon Foundation, the Oceanographic Society of Japan and the Meteorological Society of Japan. The workshop was convened by Prof. Y Toba with 35 invited experts from eight countries (Australia, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Fiji, Republic of Korea, UK, USA, and Japan) participated. Eleven of the participants also attended in the Sapporo CLI VAR 88G.
The purpose of the workshop was to discuss a future international action plan for the Japanese activities related to ocean climate research ranging from seasons to decades emphasizing the buoy development plan, and to promote an exchange of ideas prior to the implementation phase of CLIVAR. In particular, a major issue was to discuss JAMSTEC's proposal of a moored-buoy network named Triangle Trans-Ocean Buoy Network (TRITON) for observing oceanic and atmospheric variabilities in the Pacific ocean and its adjacent seas, in cooperation with domestic and foreign agencies and institutions.
The workshop was opened with welcoming speeches by Mr. M. Ishizuka, President of JAMSTEC, and Mr. K. Mamiya, Deputy Director-General, Science and Technology Promotion Bureau of STA. Prof. Toba lectured Introductory remarks which was followed by four key note speeches. Dr. M. McPhaden reviewed the TAO project and introduced plan of next generation ATLAS. Prof. T. Yamagata reviewed the studies on the Kuroshio. Prof. R. Lukas reviewed the studies on the seasonal to decadal variations of the current system in the western Pacific. Mr. M. Hishida introduced the Triangle program at JAMSTEC which named after the three themes and geographical distribution of ENSO in the tropical Pacific, Asian Monsoon in the Indian Ocean and decadal scale oceanic variabilities.
