International CLIVAR Project Office
National Oceanography Centre
European Way
Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK
Phone: +44-2380 596777
Fax: +44-2380 596204
Email: icpo@noc.soton.ac.uk
Tropical Atlantic Climate Experiment - TACE
TACE GOAL is to advance the understanding of coupled ocean-atmosphere processes and improve climate prediction for the Tropical Atlantic region
TACE Observational Strategy. The proposed observing system components include (see legend): Continuation of PIRATA moorings; PIRATA extensions along 23 º W, 10-20º S off Brazil, and 5-10º E off West Africa; equatorial subsurface moorings at 35º W, 23 ºW, 10º W, and 0º E; island meteorological and tide gauge stations; enhanced fl oat/drifter coverage in the eastern tropical Atlantic; repeated atmospheric soundings along 23 º W; ship-of-opportunity XBT lines, and selected glider transects.
26-30 November 2007: AMMA-Ocean/TACE/PIRATA Meeting, Karlsruhe GERMANY
October 2006: CLIVAR Tropical Atlantic Meeting , Paris, FRANCE (report, PDF)
TACE Oceanographic Observations Website (by P. Brandt, IfM-GEOMAR)
TACE White Paper (pdf 644KB) and figures (pdf 5MB), Dec. 2003
TACE Executive Summary (pdf 860 KB), March 2006
Information on Ongoing and Planned Activities:
Observations Working Group
The TACE observations working group will help coordinate observational activities in the tropical Atlantic that will lead to improved understanding of key ocean-atmosphere processes in the tropical Atlantic and provide data for improved initialization and assimilation into coupled predictive systems. The WG will work with the TACE Modeling and Synthesis WG and other involved research groups (e.g., the PIRATA program and various operational centers) to help design an optimal observing system for the tropical Atlantic and to determine the necessary sustained observation network in the tropical Atlantic to meet future climate forecasting needs.
The WG's main activities will include:
1) Coordination and tracking of various international contributions to the envisioned TACE observational strategy
2) Promotion of collaboration between various observational groups to maximize opportunities for shared use of observational platforms and efficient deployment of observing system components
3) Identification of gaps in the observing system and evaluation of possible means to implement the required enhancements
4) Monitoring of data availability and usage by the climate user community.
Mode of operation:
The group will primarily communicate through e-mail and meet ad-hoc during workshops and conferences at which different members of the groups are present (e.g. the annual Tropical Atlantic workshop).
The group will report to CLIVARs Atlantic Implementation panel through its chairs and liase with the steering committees of various active research programs in the tropical Atlantic including PIRATA, AMMA, and AMI. A website will be maintained with information on TACE-related observations with links to the available data (click here)
In particular the working group will coordinate modelling activities that lead to improved coupled predictive systems by:
a) the design of an optimal observing system for the tropical Atlantic
b) coordinate model activities and ocean synthesis. Close collaborations with operational groups is expected.
The WG will contribute to the following issues:
Determine oceanic processes important in regulating SST in the tropical Atlantic and associated responses.
Improve SST forecasts on seasonal to interannual time scales in the tropical Atlantic.
Provide parameterizations and model improvements to global and regional prediction centers.
Investigate response of tropical Atlantic region to global warming, including teleconnection patterns
Improve the design and performance of the required ocean observing system.
Initial activities of the WG are:
1) Set up coordinated model intercomparison experiments to investigate the impact of horizontal resolution, mixing parameterizations and vertical coordinate representation on simulation of tropical Atlantic ocean following WGOMD protocols (e.g. using the CORE surface forcing fields). Compare these runs with available observations including the new TACE data with emphasis on the upper ocean in the eastern equatorial Atlantic and upwelling areas.
2) Set up design experiments in collaboration with the TACE observational WG to test optimal design of observing system to improve SST predictions in the tropical Atlantic and demonstrate improved coupled prediction skill in the tropical Atlantic with enhanced observations.
3) Provide Tropical Atlantic data from hind-cast experiments in ocean and atmosphere over the last 50 years including synthesis data sets (e.g. ECCO, ENACT, SODA, NCEP/Reanalysis).
4) Provide data from global warming scenario experiments to indicate expected changes in the tropical Atlantic (e.g. IPCC runs collected by WGCMD).
5) Advice the CLIVAR Atlantic Implementation panel on TACE related issue
Mode of operation: The group will primarily communicate through e-mail and meet ad-hoc during workshops and conferences at which different members of the groups are present (e.g. the annual Tropical Atlantic workshop). The group will report its advances to CLIVARs Atlantic Implementation panel through its chairs and liase with the CLIVAR Working Group on Ocean Model Development, Working Group on Seasonal to Interannual Prediction and PIRATA Steering group. A website will be maintained with information on the TACE modelling and synthesis activities, including links to relevant data.
TACE article appeared in CLIVAR Exchanges, July 2005 (pdf 696 KB)
TACE Implementation Workshop Report, February 2005 (pdf 1.6 MB)
Tropical Atlantic Variability Workshop Report, June 2004 (pdf 836 KB)
Tropical Atlantic Variability Workshop Report, March 2003 (pdf 132KB)
US CLIVAR Workshop report on the dynamics and Predictability of AMI, Sepetember 2002 (pdf 472 KB)
Tropical Atlantic Variability Workshop Report, (report of the WGs) September 2001
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