Page 5: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2005)

The array of moored buoys in the Pacific that helps predict El Niño events is being expanded into the Indian Ocean to help improve the understanding of the climate system in that region.

Scientists from NOAA are working with international scientists to develop a plan for such a system. VAdm.

Conrad C.

Lautenbacher Jr., of

NOAAm said, "Such an array will move us closer to a Global

Earth Observation

System of Systems to help us fill gaps in our knowledge of Earth's climate system." Five buoys have been deployed through funding by NOAA's

Office of Climate Observation in coopera- tion with India's National Institute of

Oceanography and Department of Ocean

Development (Dona Paula, Goa, India).

Another NOAA buoy is slated to be deployed in November. Three additional buoys were deployed by Japan's Agency for

Marine-Earth Science & Technology (JAM-

STEC) (Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan).

Officials expect that seven will be deployed by 2007. Additional buoys will be guided by international plans and future budgets.

Plans envision a total of 39 buoys when the array is completed. Leading NOAA's effort is Michael McPhaden of NOAA's Pacific

Marine Environmental Laboratory here and director of the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) array in the Pacific. The array was renamed TAO/TRITON in 2000 to reflect contributions by Japan.

NOAA, Partners to Expand Tao Array

TAO buoy and support ship in Pacific. (Photo courtesy of NOAA) news

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