The surface buoy development and its operation plan :TRITON (Triangle Trans-Ocean Buoy Network)
Yoshifumi Kuroda
Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC)
2-15 Natsushima Yokosuka 237 Japan
1. Introduction
There have recently been increasing discussions concerning environmental changes that might endanger our life such as global warming, including measures to cope with such phenomena. Such measures must of course be based on scientific grounds, but we have not yet fully understood the characteristics of the earth's environment itself. Though the ocean occupies most of the earth's surface, the behavior of the ocean, such as oceanic circulation and its variability remain practically unknown to us due to the lack of permanent ocean observation networks. This contrasts to our knowledge of atmospheric science that has been gained through well-developed permanent observation networks that have been constructed. Modem atmospheric observation and weather forecasting technologies based on numerical models are expected to help us a great deal to take precautionary measures against abnormal weather. The atmospheric weather-forecasting models, however, while keep improving, have not been sufficiently sophisticated to be able to predict abnormal weather such as caused by El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Air-sea interaction must be incorporated into such models make weather prediction more accurate. In this paper, JAMSTEC proposes that a moored-buoy network named as TRITON (Triangle Trans-Ocean Buoy Network) be developed for observing oceanic and atmospheric variabilities in the Pacific ocean and its adjacent seas in cooperation with other interested Japanese and foreign agencies and institutions. The Triangle, which is a programme name at JAMSTEC, is 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.
2. Scientific Objectives
2.1 Principal scientific objective
The principal scientific objective is to understand basin ocean circulation and heat transports emphasis on ENSO, Asian monsoon and decadal scale oceanic variations that influence global climate change.
To accomplish this purpose, it is essential to understand the heat, water, and momentum fluxes at the boundary between the atmosphere and ocean. These fluxes have not been clearly understood because of few observation networks put in place. Knowledge, however, on the fluxes driving the upper ocean is critically needed to understand the process of air-sea interaction, and improve of such numerical models as ocean-atmosphere coupled models.
