A First Evaluation of the OCEAN Temperature Profile Editor and Post-Processor

Between 2011 and 2019, Training and Research in Oceanic and atmospheric Processes In tropical Cyclones (TROPIC) teams from the U.S. Naval Academy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and USAF 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron deployed nearly 1400 Airborne eXpendable BathyThermographs (AXBTs) during flights in 28 named storms, invests, and training missions. These upper ocean temperature observations were part of a joint, interagency demonstration project to increase the accuracy of hurricane forecasts in coupled numerical weather prediction models. Every profile was collected onboard the aircraft and required manual editing before being sent to the Global Telecommunication System.

The Objective Climatology-based temperature profile Editor Automated for Near-real-time (OCEAN) program was developed to automate processing of these upper ocean temperature profiles and performed exceptionally well when tested against the TROPIC 2011-2019 AXBT data set. Results are reviewed in detail and include: 99.9% of the profiles were processed successfully and manual edits were required for only 3% of profiles, yielding a 97% automation rate. When compared to the corresponding manually edited profiles, the mean temperature difference at any level was a maximum of 0.05^oC, indicating that the OCEAN processor closely replicated the manually edited profiles. The OCEAN editor also increased the processing speed and objectivity of the profiles and decreased the oceanographic expertise required to process data. Integration of the OCEAN processor into future hurricane ocean data collection operations is also discussed.