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Last Updated
October 3, 2005

Deployment of Global Drifter 1250:
Completion of the first component of the Global Ocean Observing System

On September 18, 2005, eighty-seven representatives from sixteen countries celebrated the deployment of Global Drifter 1250 as it was launched from the Tall Ship Silva near Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 1250th drifting buoy celebration was held in conjunction with the second session of the Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM-II). With this deployment, the global drifting buoy array achieved its design goal of 1250 data buoys in sustained service, becoming the first component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) to be fully implemented. This milestone also represents the first element of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to be completed.

Mike Johnson, Director of the NOAA Office of Climate Observation, and Peter Niiler, Director of the Joint Institute for Marine Observations at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, deployed Global Drifter 1250 in waters off Halifax on September 18, 2005. This completed the first element of the global ocean observing system.

In a ceremony celebrating the launching of Global Drifter 1250, remarks were made by prominent international figures in marine meteorology and oceanography. Mr. Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, commented that this is “a milestone event in international cooperation, coordination and information exchange among the meteorological and oceanographic communities. ”

Dr. Marc Denis Everell, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada, stated that, “GEO, and the coordination of a GEOSS, will rely on the same kind of shared vision and commitment that we are celebrating today. ”

In his closing remarks, Dr. Patricio Bernal, Executive Secretary for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO, noted, “Finally we must celebrate a fundamental principle. This achievement today is solid proof that international cooperation among nations, institutions and individuals can deliver significant results for the benefit of humankind. ”

The global drifting buoy array is one component of the ocean observation system of systems that is being implemented worldwide by the JCOMM Members/Member States. The United States, and in particular NOAA*, is the principal contributor. The Global Ocean Observing System combines measurements from drifting and moored data buoys, profiling floats, tide gauge stations, ship based systems, and satellites to monitor and document the state of the ocean. The observing system that is being implemented through JCOMM has been designed primarily to meet climate requirements, but the system also supports global weather prediction, global and coastal ocean prediction, marine hazard warning, marine environment and ecosystem monitoring, navigation, naval applications, and many other non-climate uses.

Drifting buoys measure ocean temperature, currents, and atmospheric pressure over the ocean. They also provide the primary calibration system, or “ground truth,” for satellite measurement of sea surface temperature, which is essential for climate, weather, and storm prediction. The scientific design for the global surface drifting buoy array calls for 1250 buoys to be maintained worldwide based on the requirement for buoy measurement of sea surface temperature in combination with satellite measurements. One buoy is needed approximately every 500 kilometers, over the entire global ocean, to calibrate the satellites. If the global ocean is conceptually divided into 500x500 kilometer square boxes, it takes 1250 boxes to cover the ocean. One buoy per box equals 1250 buoys.

The countries participating in the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel of JCOMM have been working for 10 years to collectively build the resources necessary to maintain 1250 buoys in sustained service. The ceremonial deployment** of Global Drifter 1250 symbolizes filling of the final 500x500 kilometer box. This is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

Related News and Media

JCOMM Announcement - Celebration of the Deployment of Global Drifter 1250 - JCOMM Website

Drifter "1250" successfully deployed 18 September near Halifax, Nova Scotia - JCOMMOPS, 09/26/05

Global Drifter 1250 - Marine and Environmental Data Services, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Global network complete - Chronicle Herald.ca, 09/19/05

Milestone Achieved in Oceans Observation - CNW Group, 09/18/05

Ocean Instrument Program Led by Scripps Set to Achieve World Coverage - Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 09/12/05

Ocean Instrument Program Led by Scripps Set to Achieve World Coverage - University of California, San Diego, 09/12/05

Ocean Instrument Program Led by Scripps Set to Achieve World Coverage - Innovations Report, 09/12/05

*NOAA supplies 1064 of the 1250 drifting buoys, and 54% of the global ocean observing system. The drifter project in NOAA is managed jointly by the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

**This historic event was organized on behalf of JCOMM by Mike Johnson and Diane Stanitski of NOAA ’s Office of Climate Observation.