The new CYCOFOS forecasting at coastal, sub-regional and regional scales in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea

Abstract

<p>The Cyprus coastal ocean forecasting system, known as CYCOFOS has been providing operational hydrodynamical and sea state forecasts in the Eastern Mediterranean since early 2002. Recently, it has been improved with the implementation of new hydrodynamic and new wave modeling systems with the objective of targeting higher resolution domains, at coastal, sub-regional and regional scales in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. For the new CYCOFOS hydrodynamic modeling system a novel parallel version of the well established POM has been implemented. The new CYCOFOS hydrodynamical models covers the entire Eastern Mediterranean with a resolution of 2 km and the Levantine Basin with a resolution of ~600 m, both nested in the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service of the Mediterranean Forecasting Center-CMEMS Med MFC. For sea waves forecasting, CYCOFOS has implemented  the new ECMWF wave model WAM CY46R1 in the Mediterranean and the Black seas at a higher resolution of 5 km. The CYCOFOS hydrodynamical models received an extended cal/val against the parent model, Argo profiles and satellite SST time series, while in-situ wave data gathered by the HERMES buoy monitoring network in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea were used for statistical validation of the new CYCOFOS wave forecasts. The new CYCOFOS validated modeling systems,  provide higher resolution quality controlled forecasting data suiting the needs for : a) down-streaming applications supporting risk assessment for offshore platforms in the Levantine Basin and studies concerning the coastal erosion in the Eastern Mediterranean (Albania, Cyprus, Greece) and the Black Sea (Bulgaria) in the framework of the HERMES project, and b) further hierarchical downscaling applications for the development of the COASTAL CRETE operation forecasting system at a higher resolution in the Eastern Mediterranean (Crete, Greece).</p>