A Marine Inforrnation System for Ocean Predictions
47
Institut ion
Shipname
Track number
Initial port -
Distance (om)
Final port
SAHFOS
City of Dublin
l.
Haifa
780
Gibrahar
CEAB
lsabella
2.1
Barcelona
300
Annabella
Arzew
CEAB
lsabella
2.2
Barcelona
340
Annabella
Skikda
LOB
Cap Canaille
3.
Sete
450
Tunis
IOF-CRAM
Majestic
4.
Genova
410
Splendid
Palermo
OGS
Lipa
5.
Ploce
520
Malta
NCMR
Mariska
6.
Pireus
400
Sariska
Alexandria
DFMR
Princesa Victoria
7.
Limassol
180
Princesa Mariska
Port Said
Table 3.2 The MFS-VOS transects along which data were collected from September 1999
toMay 2000.
There are many elements which are novel in the MFS-VOS programme with
respect to the similar programmes in the World Ocean. MFS-VOS is focusing on
the mesoscale variability and on 'line sampling'.
The transects along which XBT data were collected, are from boundary to
boundary, and were chosen in order to detect some of the major dynamical structures in the Mediterranean Sea. The Table 3.2 provide some details on the ship
tracks selected in the MFS-VOS system (see also Fig. 3.4 which provide an overview of the launch positions from September 1999 to May 2000).
3.5.1 The collection/transmission system
The monitoring programme had very strong requirements on data delivery: the
VOS data were to be controlled for their quality and released two days after the
collection. Other requirements on temporal and spatial sampling (see Table 3.1)
forced frequent XBT launches. In fact, with ships having speeds of 12 - 22 knots,
the time interval between the launches was of about 0.5 - 1 hour.
Temperature profiles were collected by means of a standard XBT system composed by hand launchers, data processing/recording devices and expendable
probes.
Data were transmitted by using the ARGOS system, which assured the deliver of
data in real time to the MFS-VOS data centre (in ENEA-CRAM, La Spezia, Italy)
and to the meteorological services through the Global Telecommunication System
(UNESCO, 1999). The system does not allow the transmission of full resolution
data, since only a message of 512 bits can be sent though the ARGOS satellite system; for this reason an ARGOS data collection center in Toulose developed new
47
Institut ion
Shipname
Track number
Initial port -
Distance (om)
Final port
SAHFOS
City of Dublin
l.
Haifa
780
Gibrahar
CEAB
lsabella
2.1
Barcelona
300
Annabella
Arzew
CEAB
lsabella
2.2
Barcelona
340
Annabella
Skikda
LOB
Cap Canaille
3.
Sete
450
Tunis
IOF-CRAM
Majestic
4.
Genova
410
Splendid
Palermo
OGS
Lipa
5.
Ploce
520
Malta
NCMR
Mariska
6.
Pireus
400
Sariska
Alexandria
DFMR
Princesa Victoria
7.
Limassol
180
Princesa Mariska
Port Said
Table 3.2 The MFS-VOS transects along which data were collected from September 1999
toMay 2000.
There are many elements which are novel in the MFS-VOS programme with
respect to the similar programmes in the World Ocean. MFS-VOS is focusing on
the mesoscale variability and on 'line sampling'.
The transects along which XBT data were collected, are from boundary to
boundary, and were chosen in order to detect some of the major dynamical structures in the Mediterranean Sea. The Table 3.2 provide some details on the ship
tracks selected in the MFS-VOS system (see also Fig. 3.4 which provide an overview of the launch positions from September 1999 to May 2000).
3.5.1 The collection/transmission system
The monitoring programme had very strong requirements on data delivery: the
VOS data were to be controlled for their quality and released two days after the
collection. Other requirements on temporal and spatial sampling (see Table 3.1)
forced frequent XBT launches. In fact, with ships having speeds of 12 - 22 knots,
the time interval between the launches was of about 0.5 - 1 hour.
Temperature profiles were collected by means of a standard XBT system composed by hand launchers, data processing/recording devices and expendable
probes.
Data were transmitted by using the ARGOS system, which assured the deliver of
data in real time to the MFS-VOS data centre (in ENEA-CRAM, La Spezia, Italy)
and to the meteorological services through the Global Telecommunication System
(UNESCO, 1999). The system does not allow the transmission of full resolution
data, since only a message of 512 bits can be sent though the ARGOS satellite system; for this reason an ARGOS data collection center in Toulose developed new