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Physical and meteorological data from the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) array in the tropical Pacific Ocean

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: May 06, 2026 at 06:48 AM | Dataset Last Updated: October 15, 2021 at 12:00 AM
The Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array of 55 moored buoys spans the tropical Pacific from longitudes 165°E to 95°W between latitudes of approximately 8°S and 9°N. Moorings within the array measure surface meteorological and upper-ocean parameters and transmit most data in real time to shore via Service Argos. The array was part of the in-situ measurement portion of the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Program, a 10-year (1985 - 1994) study of climate variability on seasonal to interannual time scales, the most pronounced mode of which is the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon (McPhaden, 1993).

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0092237 0092238 0092276 0092277 0092278 0092279 0092280 0092281

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
                                            {
  "fn": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "vcard:Contact",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:ncei.info@noaa.gov"
}
describedByType application/octet-steam
description The Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) Array of 55 moored buoys spans the tropical Pacific from longitudes 165°E to 95°W between latitudes of approximately 8°S and 9°N. Moorings within the array measure surface meteorological and upper-ocean parameters and transmit most data in real time to shore via Service Argos. The array was part of the in-situ measurement portion of the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Program, a 10-year (1985 - 1994) study of climate variability on seasonal to interannual time scales, the most pronounced mode of which is the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon (McPhaden, 1993).
distribution 
                                            [
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCEI Dataset Landing Page",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/NDBC-TAO-Buoy",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.",
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  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
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    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/metadata/granule/geoportal/?from=0&size=10&esdsl=%7B%22query%22%3A%7B%22bool%22%3A%7B%22must%22%3A%5B%7B%22query_string%22%3A%7B%22analyze_wildcard%22%3Atrue%2C%22query%22%3A%22fileid%3ANDBC-TAO-Buoy.*%22%7D%7D%5D%7D%7D%7D#searchPanel",
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    "title": "THREDDS",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/thredds-ocean/catalog/ndbc/tao-buoy/catalog.html",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "These data are available through a variety of services via a THREDDS (Thematic Real-time Environmental Distributed Data Services) Data Server (TDS). Depending on the dataset, the TDS can provide WMS, WCS, DAP, HTTP, and other data access and metadata services as well. For more information on the TDS, see http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/thredds/current/tds/.",
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  {
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    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.",
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  },
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    "accessURL": "ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data.nodc/ndbc/tao-buoy/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
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    "title": "https://tao.ndbc.noaa.gov/",
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    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Project website",
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  },
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    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0088104/data/1-data/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
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    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/NDBC-TAOCTD",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/NDBC-TAOCTD",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
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    "description": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords",
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    "title": "NCEI Contact Information",
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    "description": "Information for contacts at NCEI.",
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions/iso/xml/NDBC-TAO-Buoy.xml
issued 2012-06-28T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
                                            [
  "0092237",
  "0092238",
  "0092276",
  "0092277",
  "0092278",
  "0092279",
  "0092280",
  "0092281",
  "0092282",
  "0092283",
  "0092284",
  "0092285",
  "0092286",
  "0092287",
  "0092288",
  "0092289",
  "0092290",
  "0092481",
  "0093394",
  "0094858",
  "0098162",
  "0099239",
  "0100009",
  "0101141",
  "0101901",
  "0101902",
  "0104399",
  "0105758",
  "0108125",
  "0110023",
  "0111754",
  "0112759",
  "0114237",
  "0114238",
  "0114994",
  "0115701",
  "0116306",
  "0117433",
  "0118351",
  "0118448",
  "0121263",
  "0121264",
  "0121265",
  "0121631",
  "0122514",
  "0123218",
  "0123641",
  "0125593",
  "0125688",
  "0127321",
  "0128050",
  "AIR TEMPERATURE",
  "BAROMETRIC PRESSURE",
  "CONDUCTIVITY",
  "CURRENT SPEED - EAST/WEST COMPONENT (U)",
  "CURRENT SPEED - NORTH/SOUTH COMPONENT (V)",
  "CURRENT SPEED - UP/DOWN COMPONENT (W)",
  "DEPTH - OBSERVATION",
  "HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE",
  "INCOMING SOLAR RADIATION",
  "PRECIPITATION RATE",
  "RELATIVE HUMIDITY",
  "SALINITY",
  "WATER TEMPERATURE",
  "WIND DIRECTION",
  "WIND SPEED",
  "ADCP",
  "CTD - moored CTD",
  "meteorological sensor",
  "pyranometer",
  "meteorological",
  "physical",
  "FIXED PLATFORM OF UNITED STATES",
  "NOAA National Data Buoy Center",
  "NOAA National Data Buoy Center",
  "Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO)",
  "North Pacific Ocean",
  "South Pacific Ocean",
  "oceanography",
  "DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "DOC/NOAA/NWS/NDBC > National Data Buoy Center, National Weather Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION > INCOMING SOLAR RADIATION",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > WATER VAPOR INDICATORS > HUMIDITY > RELATIVE HUMIDITY",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > SURFACE WINDS > WIND DIRECTION",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > SURFACE WINDS > WIND SPEED",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > PRECIPITATION > PRECIPITATION RATE",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > OCEAN CURRENTS",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN PRESSURE > WATER PRESSURE",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > WATER TEMPERATURE",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > CONDUCTIVITY",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > SALINITY",
  "air_pressure_at_sea_level",
  "air_temperature",
  "depth",
  "eastward_sea_water_velocity",
  "latitude",
  "longitude",
  "northward_sea_water_velocity",
  "rainfall_rate",
  "relative_humidity",
  "sea_water_electrical_conductivity",
  "sea_water_pressure",
  "sea_water_salinity",
  "sea_water_temperature",
  "surface_downwelling_longwave_flux_in_air",
  "surface_downwelling_shortwave_flux_in_air",
  "time",
  "upward_sea_water_velocity",
  "wind_speed",
  "wind_to_direction",
  "ADCP > Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler",
  "CTD > Conductivity, Temperature, Depth",
  "PYRANOMETERS > PYRANOMETERS",
  "ARGOS Transmitter",
  "Dopper Current Meter [SonTek/Argonaut-MD]",
  "Humidity-temperature Capacitance [Rotronics/MP100]",
  "Humidity-temperature Pt100 RTD [Rotronics/MP100]",
  "Longwave Pyrgeometer [Eppley Laboratory/PIR]",
  "Pressure Transducer [Paine 211-30-660-01]",
  "Pressure Transducer [Paroscientific/MET1-2]",
  "Rainfall Capacitance [R. M. Young/50203]",
  "Shortwave Pyranometer [Eppley Laboratory/PSP]",
  "Thermistor Conductivity Cell [Seabird/SBE 37]",
  "Thermistor [Seabird/SBE 37/39IM]",
  "Wind Propeller [R.M. Young/05103]",
  "Wind Vane [R.M. Young/05103]",
  "FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS > FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS",
  "T0N110W",
  "T0N125W",
  "T0N140W",
  "T0N155W",
  "T0N165E",
  "T0N170W",
  "T0N180W",
  "T0N95W",
  "T2N110W",
  "T2N125W",
  "T2N140W",
  "T2N155W",
  "T2N165E",
  "T2N170W",
  "T2N180W",
  "T2N95W",
  "T2S110W",
  "T2S125W",
  "T2S140W",
  "T2S155W",
  "T2S165E",
  "T2S170W",
  "T2S180W",
  "T2S95W",
  "T5N110W",
  "T5N125W",
  "T5N140W",
  "T5N155W",
  "T5N165E",
  "T5N170W",
  "T5N180W",
  "T5N95W",
  "T5S110W",
  "T5S125W",
  "T5S140W",
  "T5S155W",
  "T5S165E",
  "T5S170W",
  "T5S180W",
  "T5S95W",
  "T8N110W",
  "T8N125W",
  "T8N155W",
  "T8N165E",
  "T8N170W",
  "T8N180W",
  "T8N95W",
  "T8S110W",
  "T8S125W",
  "T8S155W",
  "T8S165E",
  "T8S170W",
  "T8S180W",
  "T8S95W",
  "T9N140W",
  "32303",
  "32304",
  "32305",
  "32315",
  "32316",
  "32317",
  "32318",
  "32319",
  "32320",
  "32321",
  "32322",
  "32323",
  "43001",
  "43301",
  "51006",
  "51007",
  "51008",
  "51009",
  "51010",
  "51011",
  "51014",
  "51015",
  "51016",
  "51017",
  "51018",
  "51019",
  "51020",
  "51021",
  "51022",
  "51023",
  "51301",
  "51302",
  "51303",
  "51304",
  "51305",
  "51306",
  "51307",
  "51308",
  "51309",
  "51310",
  "51311",
  "52001",
  "52002",
  "52003",
  "52004",
  "52006",
  "52007",
  "52309",
  "52310",
  "52311",
  "52312",
  "52313",
  "52315",
  "52316",
  "52321",
  "OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN",
  "OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN"
]
landingPage https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
language 
                                            []
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2021-10-15T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
                                            {
  "name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
references 
                                            [
  "https://tao.ndbc.noaa.gov/",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0088104/data/1-data/",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0088104/data/0-data/oceansites_user_manual_version1.2.pdf",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/NDBC-TAOFullRes",
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/NDBC-TAOCTD"
]
rights otherRestrictions
spatial -94.0,-8.0,165.0,9.0
temporal 2011-01-01T00:00:00+00:00/2015-03-31T00:00:00+00:00
title Physical and meteorological data from the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) array in the tropical Pacific Ocean

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