Use of WMO47 Metadata in a Global Flux Climatology

The SOC Flux Climatology (Josey et al., 1998) is unique in its use of Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) metadata to improve the quality of ocean surface flux estimates obtained from merchant ship data within the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set Release 1a (COADS, Woodruff et al. 1993). Corrections to the ship data combined two WMOsponsored data sources: firstly the VOS Special Observing Project - North Atlantic (VSOP-NA) which identified errors in merchant ship weather observations and secondly the metadata collected by Port Meteorological Officers around the world and published annually by the WMO (WMO47, e.g. WMO 1994). The metadata were merged with COADS individual reports giving instrument types and heights for most VOS weather reports. These metadata allowed the identification of those reports that required correction following the recommendations of the VSOP-NA. The resulting fluxes are now starting to be validated and the total heat flux from the SOC climatology agrees well with high quality research data from buoys where that is available.