Global Telecommunications System Code Forms and Advisories

In-situ oceanographic observations, encoded and transmitted using World Meteorological Organization (WMO) communications systems, are used in weather prediction models, warnings of severe events, fisheries operations, monitoring of scientific experiments, ship routing, etc.  Broadcast of these data on the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) occurs within a period ranging from a few minutes to 30 days after the observation.  Most of the data are available within one or two days.

• IOC / WMO Manuals and Guides #3
• FM 18-XII  BUOY
  Drifting buoy observations (ZZYY)
• FM 62-VIII Ext. TRACKOB
  Report of marine surface observation along a ship's track (NNXX)
• FM 63-X Ext. BATHY
  Report of bathythermal observations (JJYY)
  • New BATHY reporting code form
• FM 64-IX TESAC
  Temperature, salinity and current report from a sea station (KKXX)
• FM 64 X TESAC
  Temperature, salinity and current report from a sea station (KKYY)

Advisory to users of ISDM real-time BATHY/TESAC data.

SHIP49 Identifiers
Between the years 1995 to 2000, more than 20 thousand BATHY coded messages were received from Japanese sources with no valid call sign, and no time of day. A decision was made to keep these data despite the lack of a valid time, because of the volume of the data set. All of these stations were arbitrarily assigned a station time of 19:00, and also assigned the arbitrary call sign SHIP49 for easy identification.

SEAS data with wrong dates
Between the years 1994 to 2005, the U.S. VOS SEAS program generated a significant number of profiles with incorrect observation dates. There is no reliable way to distinguish these stations in ISDM archives. The U.S. NODC is currently working to revise the observation dates for the delayed mode version of these data.

Argo data as TESACs
The U.S. Argo program , from 1997 to February 22, 2001, transmitted TESAC messages with pressure values instead of depths. Users are advised that this may not be the sole source of this problem, and the GODAE server should be consulted for the delayed mode version where available.

Last revised November 21, 2005