Primary
Scientific Mission
 The primary mission of the NOAA Ship
KA'IMIMOANA is the maintenance of the TAO array of moored
buoys which span the
equatorial Pacific .
TAO moorings are designed to transmit in real-time critical meteorlogical
and oceanographic observations from the equatorial Pacific. These observations
are used by scientists and operational weather forecast offices around
the world to study the role of the tropical Pacific in short-term climate
variations, such as the El Nino/Southern Oscillation events, whose effects
are felt world-wide.
Standard
oceanographic observations are also routinely collected during the TAO
cruises onboard the KA'IMIMOANA, including CTD and ADCP observations.The
TAO program is an international program which is directed by Dr. Michael
McPhaden and managed by the TAO Project Office at NOAA's Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory .
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The primary mission of the NOAA Ship
KA'IMIMOANA is the maintenance of the TAO array of moored
buoys which span the
equatorial Pacific .
TAO moorings are designed to transmit in real-time critical meteorlogical
and oceanographic observations from the equatorial Pacific. These observations
are used by scientists and operational weather forecast offices around
the world to study the role of the tropical Pacific in short-term climate
variations, such as the El Nino/Southern Oscillation events, whose effects
are felt world-wide.