HYCOM Consortium for Data Assimilative Ocean Modeling

Abstract

Abstract : Development of a consortium for hybrid-coordinate data assimilative ocean modeling to make HYCOM (HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model) a state of the art community ocean model with data assimilation capability that can (1) be used in a wide range of ocean-related research, (2) be used in a next generation eddy-resolving global ocean prediction system and (3) be coupled to a variety of other models, including littoral, atmospheric, ice and bio-chemical. The primary objective is the establishment of a global real-time ocean forecast system based on a hybrid-coordinate ocean model with sophisticated data assimilation techniques that can be efficiently executed on massively parallel computers. The secondary objectives are a) to evaluate the model's performance in reproducing the oceanic circulation, with a special focus on the coastal regions; b) to refine the hybrid coordinate design of the ocean model, especially in shallow coastal regions, and c) to evaluate the model's forecast skills and usefulness in providing boundary conditions for ultra fine-mesh coastal models.