The TAO project: Data telemetry

			Data telemetry

Data from the array are telemetered in near-real-time via
Service Argos utilizing the NOAA polar-orbiting satellites. The buoy data are processed nightly by the TAO Project at PMEL, where calibration coefficients and quality controls are applied, and the data are made available to the international scientific community and to the public in general.

Since January 2000, data from TRITON moorings west of 165E are processed daily by JAMSTEC in a similar fashion. TAO and TRITON data are delivered in a unified database from both TAO and TRITON web pages.

The TAO project has encouraged scientific utilization of the moored measurements by developing sophisticated data management and dissemination sources. These include distribution of TAO data and analyses through the World Wide Web and an Internet anonymous-ftp data base.

ATLAS moorings transmit daily mean values from the previous day and the most recent hourly surface meteorological observations. Since early 2005, ATLAS moorings transmit for 16 hours per day, from 0000-0400, 0600-1000, 1200-1600 and 1800-2200 local time. Before early 2005, the moorings transmitted only 8 hours a day, from 0600-1000 and 1200-1600 local time.

Related Links

Sampling specifications

Sensor specifications

Mooring information

Data quality control

Data availability

GTS data distribution

Real-time updates of daily mean data are made to the TAO web pages on a daily basis. In addition, daily mean ocean temperature and up to 14 hourly surface wind, relative humidity and air temperature observations are submitted onto the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) by Service Argos, primarily for use by operational data centers around the world. Complete high temporal resolution data (hourly in the original Standard ATLAS systems, 10-minute or 2-minute in Next Generation systems) are available in delayed mode from the TAO data delivery page after recovery of the moorings.
Data are also available from the National Data Buoy Center in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, the National Oceanographic Data Center in Washington DC, and the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina.