Estimates of Surface Heat Fluxes
73
Figure 5.1. Comparison between the annual mean heat fluxes, averaged across the width of the Atlantic
Ocean, as a function of latitude, from two climatologies: the Southampton (SOC) product, which is
based on quality-controlled raw data from merchant ships, and the “OAFlux + ISCPP” product, which
primarily depends on data from satellites, with some use of reanalyses of meteorological data. The SOC
product has only marginally larger fluxes between 10 N and 50 N, and smaller fluxes everywhere else.
The third tool is the use of WOCE-style surveys of the ocean, to obtain heat divergence
out of large areas of the ocean. Unfortunately, the original WOCE experiment was
performed before the satellite data on which the WHOI flux product is based became
available; but the WOCE methodology is well-known and can be used again.
A DIFFERENT ISSUE: HOW WILL WE FIRST FEEL
GREENHOUSE WARMING EFFECTS ON OUR ECONOMY?
So much for the present status of measuring heat fluxes to a respectable accuracy, over
the whole ocean. I now return to the question: are such (rather technical) developments
important, from a societal point of view? I believe they are.
Over the last 15 years I have followed the evolution of ideas on greenhouse
warming fairly closely, both as a scientist and as a citizen. My employer, CSIRO, is a
conglomerate of many laboratories (divisions). Between them CSIRO covers a huge
range of scientific expertise. In the late 1980s, the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric
Research started leading an interdivisional study of greenhouse gas changes, and their
likely effects on Australia. Nearly every year from then till 2002, I have attended the
annual meetings of this group. They have been fascinating. Each year we hear of
et al., 2003). This fault in the older climatologies is presumably due to the fact that ship reports are made
every 6 hours, during which time a ship can traverse this feature, typically 100 km wide. Continuous data
from IMET-equipped ships should not be subject to such problems.
73
Figure 5.1. Comparison between the annual mean heat fluxes, averaged across the width of the Atlantic
Ocean, as a function of latitude, from two climatologies: the Southampton (SOC) product, which is
based on quality-controlled raw data from merchant ships, and the “OAFlux + ISCPP” product, which
primarily depends on data from satellites, with some use of reanalyses of meteorological data. The SOC
product has only marginally larger fluxes between 10 N and 50 N, and smaller fluxes everywhere else.
The third tool is the use of WOCE-style surveys of the ocean, to obtain heat divergence
out of large areas of the ocean. Unfortunately, the original WOCE experiment was
performed before the satellite data on which the WHOI flux product is based became
available; but the WOCE methodology is well-known and can be used again.
A DIFFERENT ISSUE: HOW WILL WE FIRST FEEL
GREENHOUSE WARMING EFFECTS ON OUR ECONOMY?
So much for the present status of measuring heat fluxes to a respectable accuracy, over
the whole ocean. I now return to the question: are such (rather technical) developments
important, from a societal point of view? I believe they are.
Over the last 15 years I have followed the evolution of ideas on greenhouse
warming fairly closely, both as a scientist and as a citizen. My employer, CSIRO, is a
conglomerate of many laboratories (divisions). Between them CSIRO covers a huge
range of scientific expertise. In the late 1980s, the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric
Research started leading an interdivisional study of greenhouse gas changes, and their
likely effects on Australia. Nearly every year from then till 2002, I have attended the
annual meetings of this group. They have been fascinating. Each year we hear of
et al., 2003). This fault in the older climatologies is presumably due to the fact that ship reports are made
every 6 hours, during which time a ship can traverse this feature, typically 100 km wide. Continuous data
from IMET-equipped ships should not be subject to such problems.