Rapid Assessment of the Coastal Ocean Environment
223
In RR97, very efficient communications and data management procedures were
established. A command ship (RN Alliance) collected data from the survey fleet
(vid Fig. 11.7) which was transmitted to a fusion center (SACLANTCEN) and a
remote institutional forecast center (Harvard). An efficient web site was central to
the a1most flawless communication of data and products. This exercise involved a
unique preliminary forecast phase with historical synoptic data from the same season in 1987 (POEM) and data acquired from satellite and ships transiting to the
preliminary brieting in Crete. New experience was gained in adaptive sampling
from many simultaneous platforms and the assimilation of SSH. Nesting of operational domains was initiated and special products for the MW region developed.
RR97 was a sustained exercise in a large region with known dynamics which
allowed for attention to forecasting and expert qualitative evaluation.
RR98 proved especially demanding due to minimal preparation time in an
unknown region with demanding physics. The physics included challenging forcing through the Strait of Gibraltar as well as from the NE Atlantic. Many new initiatives were brought forward during RR98, including: the coupling of physical and
biologic al modeling, assimilation of sea surface color (SSC), the tirst prototype
bioluminescence forecast and the tirst inclusion of tidal products to the forecast
center.
The experience of these three exercises and the lessons leamed provide the substantive basis for sections 11.7 and 11.8.
11.7 Organization, logistics and resources
As for any oceanographic tield activity, the establishment of an ocean observation and prediction system (OOPS) for rapid environmental assessment has to be
arranged within the constraints of limited resources and a given suite of measurement systems and platforms. A sing1e 1aboratory is hard1y ab1e to provide aH components of an OOPS by itself. In a cooperative program, laboratories should be tied
together to provide the required mix of expertise, instrumentation and platforms.
11.7.1 Platforms and resources
In an early phase of military survey planning, it must be defined whether the process of data collection ought to be covert or overt. Remote sensing of the sea surface is the most obvious method for covert ocean measurements. It can provide the
surf ace parameters: elevation, sea state, roughness, temperature and color, which to
a certain extent allow conclusions to be driven for subsurface conditions also. With
visible laser light and translucent water, also shallow water bathymetry can be
obtained from distance. Currents can be measured by their impact on the velocity
of surf ace waves and the Doppler shift of Bragg-scattered radar signals. Platforms
for remote sensing of the sea surface are satellites, aircraft and radar towers.
Covert in situ measurements require a submerged platform to be deployed in the
area of interest. The range of possib1e platform size is from a swimmer to a subma-
223
In RR97, very efficient communications and data management procedures were
established. A command ship (RN Alliance) collected data from the survey fleet
(vid Fig. 11.7) which was transmitted to a fusion center (SACLANTCEN) and a
remote institutional forecast center (Harvard). An efficient web site was central to
the a1most flawless communication of data and products. This exercise involved a
unique preliminary forecast phase with historical synoptic data from the same season in 1987 (POEM) and data acquired from satellite and ships transiting to the
preliminary brieting in Crete. New experience was gained in adaptive sampling
from many simultaneous platforms and the assimilation of SSH. Nesting of operational domains was initiated and special products for the MW region developed.
RR97 was a sustained exercise in a large region with known dynamics which
allowed for attention to forecasting and expert qualitative evaluation.
RR98 proved especially demanding due to minimal preparation time in an
unknown region with demanding physics. The physics included challenging forcing through the Strait of Gibraltar as well as from the NE Atlantic. Many new initiatives were brought forward during RR98, including: the coupling of physical and
biologic al modeling, assimilation of sea surface color (SSC), the tirst prototype
bioluminescence forecast and the tirst inclusion of tidal products to the forecast
center.
The experience of these three exercises and the lessons leamed provide the substantive basis for sections 11.7 and 11.8.
11.7 Organization, logistics and resources
As for any oceanographic tield activity, the establishment of an ocean observation and prediction system (OOPS) for rapid environmental assessment has to be
arranged within the constraints of limited resources and a given suite of measurement systems and platforms. A sing1e 1aboratory is hard1y ab1e to provide aH components of an OOPS by itself. In a cooperative program, laboratories should be tied
together to provide the required mix of expertise, instrumentation and platforms.
11.7.1 Platforms and resources
In an early phase of military survey planning, it must be defined whether the process of data collection ought to be covert or overt. Remote sensing of the sea surface is the most obvious method for covert ocean measurements. It can provide the
surf ace parameters: elevation, sea state, roughness, temperature and color, which to
a certain extent allow conclusions to be driven for subsurface conditions also. With
visible laser light and translucent water, also shallow water bathymetry can be
obtained from distance. Currents can be measured by their impact on the velocity
of surf ace waves and the Doppler shift of Bragg-scattered radar signals. Platforms
for remote sensing of the sea surface are satellites, aircraft and radar towers.
Covert in situ measurements require a submerged platform to be deployed in the
area of interest. The range of possib1e platform size is from a swimmer to a subma-