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Evaluation and validation of the 1/12° global HYCOM system
Joe Metzger, Harley Hurlburt, Alan Wallcraft, Ole Martin Smedstad, Birol Kara, Jay Shriver, Lucy Smedstad, Prasad Thoppil and Debbie Franklin
Naval Research Laboratory
(Abstract received 07/17/2007 for session X)
ABSTRACT
A global ocean nowcast/forecast system consisting of the 1/12° global HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), the Polar Ice Prediction System (PIPS) and the NRL Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation (NCODA) system is scheduled for transition to the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) by the end of 2007. With ~7 km mid-latitude resolution (3-4 km near the poles), the system will 1) depict the location of mesoscale features such as oceanic eddies and fronts, 2) provide the 3 dimensional ocean temperature, salinity and current structure, and 3) provide ice concentration and thickness along with a capability to predict areas of lead opening and closings. The system (minus PIPS) has been running in real-time since December 2006 and results may be viewed at http://www.hycom.org. A series of phased validations/evaluations for the system is planned over the next three years. These will be performed relative to the existing operational global ocean nowcast/forecast system running at NAVOCEANO (1/32° Navy Layered Ocean Model - 1/8° Navy Coastal Ocean Model - 1/8° Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System). First year evaluations include examination of mixed layer depth, sonic layer depth, vertical profiles of temperature and salinity, eddy kinetic energy, sea surface temperature and sea surface height at tide gauge stations. Validations will be performed on both nowcast and forecast fields. A subset of these results will be presented. Presently the two-way coupling of HYCOM and PIPS via the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) infrastructure is being tested in a 1/12° Bering Sea system. Early results indicate PIPS has improved ice coverage over the energy loan ice model built into the standard HYCOM code.
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2007 LOM Workshop, Bergen, Norway, August 20-22, 2007