IMOS - SOOP-Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Sub-facility - Near real-time data

The Sea Surface Temperature (SST) sub-facility aims to enable accurate, quality controlled, SST data to be supplied in near real-time (within 24 hours) from SOOPs and research vessels in oceans worldwide. Remotely sensed sea surface temperature (SST) data is an important input to ocean, numerical weather prediction, seasonal and climate models. In order to improve calibration and validation of satellite SST in the Australian region, there is a need for high quality in situ SST observations with greater timeliness, spatial and temporal coverage than is currently available. Regions particularly lacking in moored or drifting buoy observations are the Western Pacific Tropical Warm Pool region (Indonesia), close to the Australian coast (including Bass Strait) and the Southern Ocean. Current ship SST observations from ships of opportunity (SOOP) are either of questionable accuracy or difficult to access in a timely manner. There are five vessels carrying automatic weather stations (AWS) that participate in the Australian Volunteer Observing Fleet (AVOF) program and two vessels equipped with a newly designed system for real-time SST data acquisition. Their routes include the Southern Ocean, coastal Australia (Queensland to South Australia), Bass Strait, Pacific Ocean, South-East Asia and the Tasman Sea. Four AVOF vessels with hull-mounted temperature sensors (Sea Bird SBE 48) and one with a digital oceanographic thermometer (Sea Bird SBE 38, L'Astrolabe) are supplying high-quality bulk SST data hourly. There is also one passenger ferry that is currently taking SST measurements using the high-accuracy SBE 38 sensor (SeaFlyte, Hillarys Harbour-Rottnest Island), and one near real-time SST data stream available from a small research vessel operated by CSIRO near the south-east coast of Western Australia (Linnaeus). All SST data are being quality assured, placed on the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) and fed into the Bureau of Meteorology's near real-time satellite SST data validation system and operational regional and global SST analyses. Additionally, there are historical SST observations from four vessels which are not currently available in real-time: passenger ferry MV Fantasea, Whitsundays area, radiometer and bulk SST (November 2008 to March 2010); two AVOF vessels: MV Iron Yandi (February 2010 to January 2011) and PV Pacific Sun (December 2010 to July 2012); and one Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS), MV Pacific Celebes which has been carrying high-quality scientific equipment (January 2008 to March 2012). The data represented by this record are presented in near real-time.

海表温度（Sea Surface Temperature，SST）子设施旨在为全球范围内的机会性船舶（Ships of Opportunity，SOOPs）与科研船舶提供经过质量控制的精准海表温度数据，实现24小时内的近实时分发。遥感海表温度（Remotely Sensed Sea Surface Temperature）数据是海洋数值天气预报、季节与气候模型的关键输入项。为改进澳大利亚海域卫星海表温度的定标与验证工作，亟需获取时效性更强、时空覆盖范围更广的高质量原位（in situ）海表温度观测数据——当前可获取的此类数据尚未能满足需求。当前尤其缺乏锚定浮标（Moored Buoy）与漂流浮标（Drifting Buoy）观测数据的区域包括西太平洋热带暖池区域（印度尼西亚周边）、澳大利亚近岸海域（含巴斯海峡）以及南大洋。

当前来自机会性船舶的海表温度观测数据要么精度存疑，要么难以实现实时获取。共有5艘搭载自动气象站（Automatic Weather Station，AWS）的船舶参与澳大利亚志愿观测船队（Australian Volunteer Observing Fleet，AVOF）项目，另有2艘配备全新设计的实时海表温度数据采集系统的船舶。这些船舶的航行航线覆盖南大洋、澳大利亚沿岸（昆士兰州至南澳大利亚州）、巴斯海峡、太平洋、东南亚海域以及塔斯曼海。

其中4艘澳大利亚志愿观测船队船舶搭载了船载温度传感器（Hull-mounted Temperature Sensor，Sea Bird SBE 48），另有1艘配备数字海洋测温仪（Digital Oceanographic Thermometer，Sea Bird SBE 38，L'Astrolabe号），可每小时输出高质量整体海表温度数据。此外还有1艘客运渡轮目前正采用高精度SBE 38传感器开展海表温度测量（SeaFlyte号，希拉里港-罗特内斯特岛航线），另有1条来自澳大利亚联邦科学与工业研究组织（Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation，CSIRO）运营的小型科研船舶的近实时海表温度数据流，该船舶在西澳大利亚州东南近岸海域作业（Linnaeus号）。

所有海表温度数据均经过质量保障处理，被上传至全球电信系统（Global Telecommunications System，GTS），并接入澳大利亚气象局的近实时卫星海表温度数据验证系统以及业务化区域与全球海表温度分析系统。

此外，尚有4艘船舶的历史海表温度观测数据目前暂未实现实时获取：包括运营于降灵群岛区域的客运渡轮MV Fantasea号（搭载辐射计与整体海表温度观测设备，观测时段为2008年11月至2010年3月）；2艘澳大利亚志愿观测船队船舶：MV Iron Yandi号（观测时段2010年2月至2011年1月）与PV Pacific Sun号（观测时段2010年12月至2012年7月）；以及1艘志愿观测船（Voluntary Observing Ship，VOS）MV Pacific Celebes号，该船曾搭载高精度科学观测设备，观测时段为2008年1月至2012年3月。

本记录所涵盖的数据均以近实时形式提供。