Site content

5.3 Coastal Modelling and Applications

Lead author: Pierre De Mey (LEGOS/CNRS)

 

Author/co-authors: P. De Mey 1, P. Craig 2, C. A. Edwards 3, Y. Ishikawa 4, J. C. Kindle 5, R. Proctor 6, 7, K. R. Thompson 8, Jiang Zhu 9, F. Auclair 10, J.-M. Beckers 11, E. Blayo 12, J. Huthnance 6, F. Lyard 1 and the GODAE Coastal and Shelf Seas Working Group (CSSWG) community

 

1 LEGOS/CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, 31400, France
2 CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
3 Ocean Sciences Dept., University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
4 Dept. of Geophysics, Grad. School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
5 formerly: Naval Research Labs, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, USA
6 Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Liverpool, L3 5DA, United Kingdom
7 IMOS, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
8 Dept. of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4J1, Canada
9 Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
10 Laboratoire d'Aérologie, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, 31400, France
11 GHER, Université de Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
12 Laboratoire Jean Kuntzmann, 38400 Saint Martin d'Hères, France

 

Abstract

 

During the life of GODAE, numerical modeling and prediction in coastal and shelf seas have greatly benefited from the development of state-of-the-art, data-assimilative and data-validated large-scale models that can supply initial and boundary conditions to nested domains, allowing the resolution of fine spatial and temporal scales. Marine safety, search and rescue, swimming water quality, oil and nuclear industries, ship routing, fisheries, aquaculture, Navy applications, management of coastal and shelf seas, local air/sea coupled modelling, and last but not least scientific research, are among the potential beneficiaries from such a downscaling approach.

In order to illustrate such a concept, we will take advantage of discussions and activities of the past two years within the GODAE Coastal and Shelf Seas Working Group community, gathering 38 systems using GODAE products for coastal applications, and in particular the CSSWG White Paper, the 2006 Beijing symposium and the 2007 Liverpool workshop. We will first focus on coastal modelling and its links with applications and with large-scale modelling. Following the lead of the White Paper, we will then consider important issues and ongoing research related to downscaling, giving a few examples along the way: specificity of ocean physics and processes; multi-scale modelling; enhancements to predictability; and array design. The next section will examine how we can measure the value of coastal ocean products and of downscaling, and in particular examine the added value over the large-scale products, both in terms of science and in terms of utility for applications. We will conclude by addressing how we can bring those ideas forward in the future, and in particular which new research topics should be considered, and which existing topics should be expanded.

(Last Updated: 13-10-2008)