Second International Workshop on Advances in the Use of Historical Marine Climate Data (MARCDAT-II)
Workshop Structure:
Scope
The workshop will be arranged along thematic lines, exploring the following topics as they relate to marine climate variables:
developing gridded data sets: combining/reconciling observations (includes understanding the observations, homogeneity, quality control and analysis issues)
quantifying data and analysis uncertainties (putting error bars on the data sets; includes bias and bias-correction uncertainties, random and sampling errors)
data base development and access (technical issues such as observation and metadata database construction, adding more data, documentation, data dissemination, etc)
use of marine data in climate research (defining data requirements, assessing what we know about climate variability and change)
All the following variables will be considered:
sea surface temperature
sea ice concentration and extent
nighttime and daytime marine air temperature (MAT)
sea level pressure
humidity
sub-surface temperature and salinity
wind, clouds, fluxes and waves
The workshop will be split between plenary sessions addressing the four main themes (including oral and poster presentations) and four breakout groups considering groups of the variables listed above.
Results from this meeting will be reported to the GCOS/WRCP Atmosphere Observation for Climate (AOPC) and Ocean Observations for Climate (OOPC) panels.
Main goals
Review progress against the scientific and technical recommendations made at MARCDAT-I and CLIMAR-II.
Develop the timetable for enhancing in situ marine data bases, with a focus on ICOADS, taking account of plans for further digitization and improved processing of the basic observational data.
Develop strategies for the creation of multi-decadal, homogeneous, gridded data sets for climate applications, identifying priorities for improvement amongst four groups of variables: (i) SST, MAT and humidity; (ii) sea ice concentration and extent; (iii) sea level pressure and winds and (iv) sub-surface ocean temperature and salinity, fluxes and clouds.
Discuss methods for quantifying uncertainties in marine data and create a timetable for the assembly of a suite of gridded marine datasets with associated uncertainties.
Consider how to define our future data requirements
Outcomes
The recommendations of the workshop are planned for publication in articles for the WMO Bulletin and CLIVAR Exchanges. Abstracts of oral and poster presentations will be archived on this website.