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4.4 Advances in Global and Basin-Scale Ocean Modeling during GODAE
Lead author: Eric Chassignet (COAPS)
Authors/co-authors: Eric P. Chassignet1, Alistair Adcroft5, Remy Baraille9, Bernard Barnier3, Mats Bentsen4, Eric Blayo12, Romain Bourdalle Badie10, Jean-Michel Campin11, Pierre De Mey7, Gilles Garric10, Stephen M. Griffies5, Robert Hallberg5, George Halliwell2, Patrick Heimbach11, Gurvan Madec8, Dimitris Menemenlis6, Yves Morel9 and Alexander "Sasha" F. Shchepetkin13
1COAPS, Florida State University, Tallahasssee, FL, 32306, USA
2RSMAS, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33149, USA
3LEGI, 38041 Grenoble, France
4Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, N-5059 Bergen, Norway
5Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ, 08542, USA
6Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, CA ,91109, USA
7LEGOS/CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrenees, 31400 Toulouse, France
8LOCEAN, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75252 Paris, France
9SHOM, 31057 Toulouse, France
10MERCATOR-OCEAN, 31520 Ramonville St Agne, France
11Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
12Université Joseph Fourier, 38041 Grenoble, France
13UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095,USA
Abstract
An ocean numerical model provides one of the three essential components of ocean state estimation and forecasting systems. Observational data, via data assimilation, sets the stage for the model state estimates and forecasts, with the quality of the estimates and the forecast critically dependent on the ability of the ocean numerical model to faithfully represent the ocean subgrid scale physics and resolved dynamics. The use of even an infinite amount of data to constrain the initial conditions will not necessarily improve the forecast against persistence of a poorly performing ocean numerical model. In this presentation, we first review the state of the art of numerical models used by global and basin-scale ocean state estimation and prediction systems, and summarize advances made during GODAE. Since an important aspect of GODAE is the provision of boundary conditions from the global and basin-scale models to regional and coastal models, we then summarize advances made in the prescription of one-way and two-way open boundary conditions. We conclude by briefly addressing how ocean model development can benefit from ocean state estimation and forecasting systems.
(Last Updated: 13-10-2008)