DATA REQUIREMENTS FOR S^OPTIC SEA SURFACE TEMPERAUWRE ANALYSES 



R. W. James 



U. S. Naval Oceanographic Office 



Washington, D. C. 20390 



I. BAGKGROUm) 



A common complaint voiced by analysts attempting to prepare syn- 

 optic oceanographic charts is that the present data input 1» insuf- 

 ficient to produce reliable analyses. This is reflected in the vse 

 of composite groupings of observations taken over severeJ. days and 

 by the increased demand for ship-of -opportunity data. The constant 

 requests for more observations, however, leads those in a planning 

 capacity to conclude that the solution to the problem lies in satur- 

 ating the oceans with observations. While it is obvious that more 

 synoptic data are required, it is not so obvious vhere the obser- 

 vations are to come from, how th^ should be taken, to what accuracy, 

 and how many are required. Funds available for increasing the 

 quantity of synoptic oceanographic data are limited and should be 

 carefully apportioned between possible platforms to give maxiuMB 

 improvement in analjrsis accuracies. This can be acconrplished only 

 by first ascertaining answers to the questions posed above. 



This report describes the data requirements for sea surface 

 temperature charts as deduced from a series of tests which compare 

 accuracies of analyses based on various data inputs, ^ese investi- 

 gations are part of a continuing research effort concerning data 

 requirements for the Navy's Antisubmarine Warfare Environmental 

 Prediction Service (ASWEPS). 



II. OBJECTIVE 



The objective of this report is to establish guidelines as to 

 the quantity and quality of synoptic observations required to ensure 

 reliable sea surface temperature analyses. Although the stufly was 

 conducted in the western North Atlantic ocean, and with ASWEPS in 

 mind, most of the conclusions should be valid for other ocean areas. 



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