付録4-6 カントリーレポート(4)
日本代表(日本におけるArgo計画への取り組み)；佐伯理郎
Argo Program in Japan
Dr Masaro Saiki
Japan Meteorological Agency
In December 1999, Former Prime Minister Obuchi endorsed a new 5-year project namely "Construction of Advanced Ocean Observing Systems (ARGO Project)" in his Millennium Project. Through the construction of advanced systems for the global ocean observation, the Project aims to significantly improve the accuracy of the climate change prediction until FY 2004.
The implementing agencies are the Science Technology Agency (STA)/ Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEO including the Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change (FORSGO and the Ministry of Transport (MoT) including the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Hydrographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard (JHD).
The followings are planned as necessary preparations and development activities before the full-scale deployment of profiling floats for the FY 2000 to the first half of FY 2001;
- Construction of international cooperation framework
- Various technical development activities needed before full-scale deployment of profiling floats (such as improvement of sensor's accuracy, methods of effective float deployment, equipment for deployment of floats from voluntary commercial vessels, etc.)
- Installation of observing systems for verification and complement of float's data
- Installation of systems for collection, analysis and distribution of float's data and database systems
- Data assimilation research activities
Regarding to the deployment of floats, Japan has a plan to deploy, in FY 2000, about 20 floats for performance test and deployment research activities. At present, 60 floats in FY 2001 and about 100 floats in each FY of 2002 to 2004 are planned to deploy in the western North Pacific and the eastern Indian Ocean.
