Oceanography Center Research Articles

Volume Backscattering Strength Estimation of Plankton from Water Column Multibeam Echosounder Data at Alor Strait, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Plankton support marine lives in significant roles as the main food source and ecological functions. However, marine information regarding plankton abundance is scanty and not distributed equally along Indonesian waters. In general, research in plankton abundance were conducted using conventional methods which unable to identify extensively. Hence, the main objective of this study was to estimate the qualitative volume backscattering strength (A ν ) of plankton abundance in the Alor Strait by utilizing multibeam echosounder water column data. Data acquisition was obtained during Jala Citra 3 – “Flores” 2023 expedition held by the Indonesian Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Center. The instrument used in this study is the Kongsberg EM302 multibeam echosounder operating at a frequency of 30kHz which acquired both bathymetry and water column data simultaneously. The results show the average value of the volume backscattering strength that varies in the distribution of sample pings at the research site. The largest average Av value is -120.071 dB at sample point 287 which placed in shallow water by the nearest island. Additionally, the smallest value is -142.783 dB at sample point 272 with around 1800 meters depth. It expects the correlation between depth and volume backscatter strength value which can be further investigated.

HYDRODYNAMIC AND BOUSSINESQ WAVE MODELING FOR THE N219 AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT SEAPLANE DOCK DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN PANJANG ISLAND

The flight test of N219 Amphibious aircraft will be targeted in 2003/2024. For flight tests, these aircraft need a seaplane dock. One of the potential locations for the seaplane dock is Panjang Island at Seribu Islands. This study aims to know the characteristic of hydrodynamic and wave conditions and to determine whether Panjang Island is suitable for the seaplane dock. This study uses a modeling method with MIKE 21 FM HD-SW module and MIKE 21 Boussinesq Wave (BW) module. The bathymetry data were obtained from the Indonesian Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Center (Pushidrosal), tide data is generated from Tide Model Driver (TMD), wave and wind data from ECMWF. The result of surface elevation validation between hydrodynamic modeling and TMD is 92%. During the west monsoon and spring conditions, the difference in the largest and lowest current velocity is quite large (0.018-0.199 m/s), on the other hand, when the tides are in neap conditions (0.008-0.144 m/s). Meanwhile, during the east monsoon and spring conditions, the difference in the largest and lowest current velocities is quite large (0.02-0.193 m/s), on the other hand, when the tides are in neap conditions (0.008-0.146 m/s). The maximum wave height resulting from the 50-year return period waveform modeling between 1.139 - 1.474 m. Meanwhile, the significant wave heights between 0.679 - 0.741 with a significant wave period of 13.45 seconds. In general, the current and wave conditions of the two locations are suitable for the construction of the seaplane dock, except that the dominant wave heights are still above the requirements.

A new daily quarter degree sea level anomaly product from CryoSat-2 for ocean science and applications

The European Space Agency launched CryoSat-2 as the first European ice mission in 2010. Its advanced altimeter met primary objectives concerned with sea ice thickness and ice sheets. The value of Cryosat-2 data over global oceans was recognised, and operational products were developed via the CryoSat Ocean Processor (COP). The novel orbit of CryoSat-2 results in a denser coverage of sample points compared to other satellite altimeters. The National Oceanography Centre Sea Level Anomaly (NOCSLA) gridded product is based on interpolating Geophysical Ocean Products (GOP) using weights in space and time. GOP represents the highest quality operational ocean data. NOCSLA is a daily, ¼° sea level anomaly product covering non-coastal oceans between [60°N 60°S] and January 2011 to October 2020. The paper presents the methodology and scientific applications of NOCSLA. Oceanographic features observed are compared against products from other missions, including Rossby waves and El Niño signals. Results show good agreement with other products, confirming the value of Cryosat-2 data for ocean science and applications.

Autosub Long Range 1500: A continuous 2000 km field trial

Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (LRAUVs) offer the potential to monitor the ocean at higher spatial and temporal resolutions compared to conventional ship-based techniques. The multi-week to multi-month endurance of LRAUVs enables them to operate independently of a support vessel, creating novel opportunities for ocean observation. The National Oceanography Centre’s Autosub Long Range is one of a small number of vehicles designed for a multi-month endurance. The latest iteration, Autosub Long Range 1500 (ALR1500), is a 1500 m depth-rated LRAUV developed for ocean science in coastal and shelf seas or in the epipelagic and meteorologic regions of the ocean. This paper presents the design of the ALR1500 and results from a five week continuous deployment from Plymouth, UK, to the continental shelf break and back again, a distance of approximately 2000km which consumed half of the installed energy. The LRAUV was unaccompanied throughout the mission and operated continuously beyond visual line of sight.

An experimental comparison of Deep Learning strategies for AUV navigation in DVL-denied environments

Accurate and robust navigation and localisation systems are critical for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) in order to perform missions in challenging environments. However, since the Global Positioning System (GPS) is not available in the underwater domain, the localisation task is commonly fulfilled by integrating direct linear speed readings provided by a Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) over time. As a consequence, DVL failures or fallacies and DVL-denied environments may arise as unexpected causes for severe malfunctions of the whole navigation system. Motivated by these considerations and the outstanding performance of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) in supervised regression problems, a Deep Learning (DL) -based approach has been developed to estimate the vehicle’s body-frame velocity, without canonically employing DVL measurements, in a Dead-Reckoning (DR) navigation strategy. In particular, this work will describe the whole framework, starting from the data gathered by the AUVs of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) during different field campaigns, through to the data pre-processing and the inference of the predicted velocity. Finally, a comprehensive offline comparison between different DL-based models is presented to assess the validity of the proposed approach.

An Upper Ocean Thermal Field Metrics Dataset

The upper ocean provides a source of thermal energy for tropical cyclone development and maintenance through a series of complex interactions. In this work, we develop a seventeen-year dataset of upper ocean thermal field metrics for use in tropical cyclone studies and development of tropical cyclone intensity prediction models. These metrics include the surface temperature, two different measures of vertically integrated heat content, and four different measures of vertically averaged temperature. Some metrics have been used to study upper-ocean energy response to tropical cyclone passage, while others have been employed to improve operational tropical cyclone intensity prediction models. The vertically integrated ocean heat content has been used to improve tropical cyclone intensity forecasts at U.S. tropical cyclone forecast centers and is an integral part of several operational intensity forecast models. A static 2005–2021 dataset that includes all twelve metrics described within is available on the Naval Research Laboratory web server, and a subset of six metrics have been produced in real-time at Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center and provided to the public via the GODAE server since 2021.

An Intercomparison of Global Reanalysis Products for Southern Africa’s Major Oceanographic Features

A regional assessment of three global ocean reanalysis products is presented for southern Africa’s major oceanographic features. The reanalyses include Mercator Ocean’s Global Reanalysis (GLORYS), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) Bluelink Reanalysis (BRAN) and the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center’s (FNMOC) global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) reanalysis. The aim is to provide modelers with sufficient information for selecting the appropriate product for use as boundary conditions to force their regional ocean models, as well as to provide marine industries, relevant government agencies and academics with insight into the optimal reanalysis product for their purposes. The reanalyses are compared to both assimilated and independent observational datasets spanning various regions within the southern African marine environment. While all reanalysis products reproduce the eastern and western boundary current systems surrounding southern Africa, limitations exist. BRAN outperforms the other reanalyses in its representation of the Mixed Layer Depth, contributing to its good representation of coastal SSTs in the Benguela upwelling system, whereas GLORYS and HYCOM’s misrepresented MLD result in significant warm biases in this region. The Angola-Benguela Frontal Zone and it’s variability is best reproduced by BRAN and HYCOM. The Agulhas Current system’s major components are well reproduced by both GLORYS and BRAN. HYCOM, however, simulates considerably more early retroflections than are observed which have resulted in its mean eastward location. While all the reanalyses overestimate the occurrence of Agulhas meanders, GLORYS and BRAN resolve the associated variability best. Agulhas Current transport is best resolved by GLORYS, unlike BRAN and HYCOM which largely overestimate the magnitude of its south-westward flow, linked to their misrepresentation of the Current’s vertical structure. The bay-scale and nearshore evaluations highlighted issues pertaining to the resolution of the reanalyses and their use at such a small scale. The reanalyses are limited by their resolution, as well as by their misrepresentation of submesoscale processes or lack thereof, prompting the need for the development of regional downscaled models in and around the southern African oceans based on the global ocean reanalysis products.

AURORA, a multi-sensor dataset for robotic ocean exploration

The current maturity of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) has made their deployment practical and cost-effective, such that many scientific, industrial and military applications now include AUV operations. However, the logistical difficulties and high costs of operating at sea are still critical limiting factors in further technology development, the benchmarking of new techniques and the reproducibility of research results. To overcome this problem, this paper presents a freely available dataset suitable to test control, navigation, sensor processing algorithms and others tasks. This dataset combines AUV navigation data, sidescan sonar, multibeam echosounder data and seafloor camera image data, and associated sensor acquisition metadata to provide a detailed characterisation of surveys carried out by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in the Greater Haig Fras Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) of the U.K in 2015.

Assessment of metocean forecasts for Hurricane Lorenzo in the Azores Archipelago

This paper analyzes the performance of multiple wind and wave operational forecasts of Hurricane Lorenzo, the easternmost Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record. Deterministic and ensemble forecast products from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Environment Canada's Meteorological Center, US Navy Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, and Deutscher Wetterdienst have been selected for the assessment, which is based on in situ observations collected in the Azores Archipelago and satellite data (altimeters and scatterometers). Forecast ranges up to one week are analyzed and the error metrics are calculated as a function of the forecast lead times. The results show that the ensemble forecasts presented better performance than the deterministic forecasts, maintaining high correlation coefficients and low scatter indexes at longer ranges. However, the ensemble averages are associated with negative bias and increasing underestimation of the peak of the storm when the ensemble spread is large.

Study of Bathymetry and Seabed Morphology Changes Around Anak Krakatau Waters of 2018 Post-Eruption

Anak Krakatau is an active volcanic mountain located in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia. On December 22, 2018, this mountain erupted and the flank collapses off into the water. This changes the bathymetry and morphology of the seabed around the waters of Anak Krakatau volcano. This study uses bathymetry data surrounding the Anak Krakatau waters from the Indonesian Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Center (PUSHIDROSAL) in 2016 and 2019. The data were obtained by survey using Echosounder Multibeam System MBES EM2040 and EM302. By means of surface analysis method (hillshade), the data were process to observe the bathymetry and seabed morphology changes around the Anak Krakatau volcano waters by the eruption. The results of bathymetry data processing show a depth change of about 25 m, with the lowest value in 2016 ranging from -250,328 m and in 2019 ranging from -226.12 m. The average value of the slope of the seabed in 2016 was 5.31° and 4.98° in 2019.

Industry Partnership: Lab on Chip Chemical Sensor Technology for Ocean Observing

We introduce for the first time a new product line able to make high accuracy measurements of a number of water chemistry parameters in situ: i.e., submerged in the environment including in the deep sea (to 6,000 m). This product is based on the developments of in situ lab on chip technology at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), and the University of Southampton and is produced under license by Clearwater Sensors Ltd., a start-up and industrial partner in bringing this technology to global availability and further developing its potential. The technology has already been deployed by the NOC, and with their partners worldwide over 200 times including to depths of ∼4,800 m, in turbid estuaries and rivers, and for up to a year in seasonally ice-covered regions of the arctic. The technology is capable of making accurate determinations of chemical and biological parameters that require reagents and which produce an electrical, absorbance, fluorescence, or luminescence signal. As such it is suitable for a wide range of environmental measurements. Whilst further parameters are in development across this partnership, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, Silicate, Iron, and pH sensors are currently available commercially. Theses sensors use microfluidics and optics combined in an optofluidic chip with electromechanical valves and pumps mounted upon it to mix water samples with reagents and measure the optical response. An overview of the sensors and the underlying components and technologies is given together with examples of deployments and integrations with observing platforms such as gliders, autonomous underwater vehicles and moorings.

A Completeness and Complementarity Analysis of the Data Sources in the NOAA In Situ Sea Surface Temperature Quality Monitor (iQuam) System

In situ sea surface temperatures (SST) are the key component of the calibration and validation (Cal/Val) of satellite SST retrievals and data assimilation (DA). The NOAA in situ SST Quality Monitor (iQuam) aims to collect, from various sources, all available in situ SST data, and integrate them into a maximally complete, uniform, and accurate dataset to support these applications. For each in situ data type, iQuam strives to ingest data from several independent sources, to ensure most complete coverage, at the cost of some redundancy in data feeds. The relative completeness of various inputs and their consistency and mutual complementarity are often unknown and are the focus of this study. For four platform types customarily employed in satellite Cal/Val and DA (drifting buoys, tropical moorings, ships, and Argo floats), five widely known data sets are analyzed: (1) International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS), (2) Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC), (3) Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), (4) Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), and (5) Argo Global Data Assembly Centers (GDACs). Each data set reports SSTs from one or more platform types. It is found that drifting buoys are more fully represented in FNMOC and CMEMS. Ships are reported in FNMOC and ICOADS, which are best used in conjunction with each other, but not in CMEMS. Tropical moorings are well represented in ICOADS, FNMOC, and CMEMS. Some CMEMS mooring reports are sampled every 10 min (compared to the standard 1 h sampling in all other datasets). The CMEMS Argo profiling data set is, as expected, nearly identical with those from the two Argo GDACs.

THE INFLUENCE OF CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE INDONESIAN NAVY HYDROGRAPHIC AND OCEANOGRAPHIC CENTER WITH SELF EFFICACY AS AN INTERVENING VARIABLE

The leadership in the TNI environment is very typical according to the stylish nature of the command organization and is supported by the participation of its members; therefore, this study aims to find out how the influence of charismatic leadership and training on the performance of the Indonesian Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Center (Pushidrosal) with Self Efficacy as intervening. This study was conducted on Pushidrosal personnel rank of officers, where the sample used was 217 respondents taken using the census method. Data obtained by questionnaire using a Likert scale to measure 45 indicators processed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the Amos 22.0 application.
 The results showed that: Charismatic leadership and training had no direct effect on self-efficacy, self-efficacy had no direct effect on performance. Charismatic leadership and training have a significant positive effect on performance both directly and indirectly. The results of the study also show that Self Efficacy has a positive mediating role for charismatic leadership and training on performance.

The Navy's Earth System Prediction Capability: A New Global Coupled Atmosphere‐Ocean‐Sea Ice Prediction System Designed for Daily to Subseasonal Forecasting

AbstractThis paper describes the new global Navy Earth System Prediction Capability (Navy‐ESPC) coupled atmosphere‐ocean‐sea ice prediction system developed at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) for operational forecasting for timescales of days to the subseasonal. Two configurations of the system are validated: (1) a low‐resolution 16‐member ensemble system and (2) a high‐resolution deterministic system. The Navy‐ESPC ensemble system became operational in August 2020, and this is the first time the NRL operational partner, Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, will provide global coupled atmosphere‐ocean‐sea ice forecasts, with atmospheric forecasts extending past 16 days, and ocean and sea ice ensemble forecasts. A unique aspect of the Navy‐ESPC is that the global ocean model is eddy resolving at 1/12° in the ensemble and at 1/25° in the deterministic configurations. The component models are current Navy operational systems: NAVy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM) for the atmosphere, HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) for the ocean, and Community Ice CodE (CICE) for the sea ice. Physics updates to improve the simulation of equatorial phenomena, particularly the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO), were introduced into NAVGEM. The low‐resolution ensemble configuration and high‐resolution deterministic configuration are evaluated based on analyses and forecasts from January 2017 to January 2018. Navy‐ESPC ensemble forecast skill for large‐scale atmospheric phenomena, such as the MJO, North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Antarctic Oscillation (AAO), and other indices, is comparable to that of other numerical weather prediction (NWP) centers. Ensemble forecasts of ocean sea surface temperatures perform better than climatology in the tropics and midlatitudes out to 60 days. In addition, the Navy‐ESPC Pan‐Arctic and Pan‐Antarctic sea ice extent predictions perform better than climatology out to about 45 days, although the skill is dependent on season.

ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF JOINT HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY INDONESIA - SINGAPORE - MALAYSIA TO ENHANCE SAFETY NAVIGATION IN THE STRAIT OF MALACCA AND SINGAPORE

<p class="BadanCxSpFirst"><span lang="IN">The purpose of </span><span lang="EN-US">the </span><span lang="IN">Joint Hydrographic Survey (JHS) implementation in Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) is to improve navigation safety in TSS by using Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) technology. This is especially important given the increasing number of ships carrying out cross-transit through SOMS from year to year, while hydrographic information has not been updated since 1998. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of JHS activities at SOMS conducted by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore</span><span lang="IN">related to Indonesia's interests, specifications, and procedures, as well as the use of force in JHS activities</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span><span lang="IN"> This </span><span lang="EN-US">study</span><span lang="IN"> uses qualitative methods with an exploratory approach</span><span lang="EN-US"> and</span><span lang="IN"> used the NVivo Plus 12 app</span><span lang="EN-US">lication</span><span lang="IN"> to find themes from field interviews and used the Soft System Methodology (SSM). Based on the results of the study can be concluded that the effectiveness of JHS activities has been following what is expected by the three coastal countries, but the Indonesian Navy Hydrographic and Oceanography Center or Pusat Hidrografi dan Oseanografi TNI AL (Pushidrosal) as a learning organization is required to continue to be able to improve its capabilities in the implementation of JHS. From the gap of research results obtained several activities that can be carried out by Pushidrosal to increase the effectiveness of JHS in SOMS namely by evaluating the implementation of Security Officer (SO) and Technical Officer (TO) as well as preparing SOP that can be used as a standard in the implementation of JHS activities</span></p>

A New Method for the Collection of Marine Geomagnetic Information: Survey Application in the Colombian Caribbean

In recent years, the Oceanographic and Hydrographic Research Center (part of the General Maritime Directorate of Colombia (DIMAR) has made important efforts to advance research in the field of marine geophysics, in particular, the techniques of geomagnetism, sub-bottom profiling, and side-scan sonar, the first being the most developed at the present time. A method is presented for the acquisition of geomagnetic data in marine environments, as used by DIMAR in the Colombian maritime territory. The development of the geomagnetic method not only offers the opportunity to advance basic scientific knowledge, but it is also of great importance in support of national sovereignty issues. Among other applications, the most representative uses of the geomagnetic method are the location of pipelines and metal plates, detection of buried ordnance, identification of sites of archaeological interest, and the identification and characterization of geological structures. As a result of testing the method, a grid of geomagnetic data was surveyed in an area close to the Island of San Andrés in the north-west of the Colombian maritime territory. The survey was prepared with a regional geometric arrangement, the result of which was compared with survey data obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) magnetic data repository and carried out in the same study area. Despite the long time interval between the two surveys, almost 50 years, no significant differences were observed in terms of the analyzed variables. Finally, results show negligible differences between the magnetic data obtained for the years 1970 and 2018 for all the variables measured, such as the inclination, declination, and total magnetic field. These differences may be attributable to a geological component or also to the acquisition and processing methods used in the 1970s.

Development stage and season influence in the metal content of small pelagic fish in the North-West Africa

Marine organisms are exposed to great changes caused by man due to discharges into the oceans, so the study of marine pollution is of great value for each ecosystem. For this study, 963 specimens of pelagic fish have been collected, of which 345 are Scomber colias, 294 are Trachurus picturatus and 324 are Sardina pilchardus, it was wanted to study the development and ontogeny in the three species observing if there were variations in their metallic content. The study covered a total of 2 years, from June 2016 to May 2018.16 samples of each species were studied each month, during the 2 years of sampling, from the samplings carried out by the Canary Islands Oceanographic Center of the Spanish Institute Oceanography (COC-IEO) in the markets of the Island of Tenerife. The concentration of 11 anthropic metals was determined in each sample using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) technique. Statistical studies were carried out with factors such as the oceanographic season, and the level of maturity of the gonads. S. colias was the species that presented the highest concentration in a greater number of metals. S. pilchardus presents higher concentration in Cu, Li and Zn, in the warm season. These are metals of a very anthropic character on coasts; This species tends to get closer to the coasts compared to the other two and is the cause of its higher concentration in these metals due to the influence of pollution linked to the coast. The immature specimens of the three species had a higher concentration in more metals than the mature specimens.

Training the Next Generation of Researchers in the Science and Application of Atmospheric Rivers

University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations Grant W912HZ-15-2-0019 Scientific Employment Stimulus 2017 from FCT CEECIND/00027/2017

The Implementation of Indonesian Navy’s Hydrography and Oceanography Center in Supporting the Government Vision to Realize Indonesia as the Global Maritime Fulcrum

The Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) is a strategic idea hat is realized to ensure inter-island connectivity, development of the shipping industry and fisheries, and focus on maritime security. The implementation of Pushidrosal's tasks, roles, and functions in supporting the government's vision to realize Indonesia as GMF is inseparable from problems that result in the non-optimal role of Pushidrosal as the National Hydrographic Organization. The dominant problems that prevent Pushidrosal include limited, human resources, infrastructure facilities only located in Jakarta, vessel and equipment survey owned by Pushidrosal. This research aims to analyze the role, duties, and functions of Pushidrosal in supporting the government's vision to realize Indonesia as GMF. The research was conducted using qualitative descriptive methods which are based on the implementation theory of George C. Edwards III. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of Pushidrosal's role in supporting the government's vision to realize Indonesia as GMF is not in doubt. This means that the role and application of hydrography strongly support the government's vision of realizing Indonesia as GMF. In order to carry out the duties of the national hydrographic institution more optimally, it is necessary to increase capabilities in terms of human resources based on its qualifications in the sector of hydrographic, infrastructure, budgeting and addition of Hydrographic and Oceanographic Units are needed in three regions, namely West, Central and East, and harmonious cooperation between the Ministries and Institutions (K/L) and stakeholder. Keywords : Pushidrosal, National Hydrographic Institute, Global Maritime Fulcrum DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/10-3-06 Publication date: March 31 st 2020

Hurricane Model Development at GFDL: A Collaborative Success Story from a Historical Perspective

AbstractThe hurricane project at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) was established in 1970. By the mid-1970s pioneering research had led to the development of a new hurricane model. As the reputation of the model grew, GFDL was approached in 1986 by the director of the National Meteorological Center about establishing a collaboration between the two federal organizations to transition the model into an operational modeling system. After a multiyear effort by GFDL scientists to develop a system that could support rigorous requirements of operations, and multiyear testing had demonstrated its superior performance compared to existing guidance products, operational implementation was made in 1995. Through collaboration between GFDL and the U.S. Navy, the model was also made operational at Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center in 1996. GFDL scientists continued to support and improve the model during the next two decades by collaborating with other scientists at GFDL, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Environmental Modeling Center (EMC),1 the National Hurricane Center, the U.S. Navy, the University of Rhode Island (URI), Old Dominion University, and the NOAA Hurricane Research Division. Scientists at GFDL, URI, and EMC collaborated to transfer key components of the GFDL model to the NWS new Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting Model (HWRF) that became operational in 2007. The purpose of the article is to highlight the critical role of these collaborations. It is hoped that the experiences of the authors will serve as an example of how such collaboration can benefit the nation with improved weather guidance products.