Nested ocean models: Work in progress

The ongoing work of combining three existing software programs into a nested grid oceanography model is detailed. The HYPER domain decomposition program, the SPEM ocean modeling program, and a quasi-geostrophic model written in England are being combined into a general ocean modeling facility. This facility will be used to test the viability and the capability of two-way nested grids in the North Atlantic

Issues in stochastic ocean modeling

The general theory of stochastic differential equations is presented in this chapter, including the theoretical background on how measured statistics from time series can be used to develop a stochastic parameterization. The general rules of stochastic calculus, including the important and often overlooked differences between Ito and Stratonovich calculus, are mentioned, and references are provided in which more detail may be found. We discuss how Stratonovich calculus is usually appropriate for fluid systems, whereas Ito calculus is often appropriate for data assimilation. We also discuss some common numerical pitfalls awaiting the unwary modeler, and warn against unsophisticated random number generators. Finally, we offer a selection of examples showing the importance of the variability of unresolved scales in an ocean model and, by citation, a variety of methods that have been employed

Earth and ocean modeling

A modular structured system of computer programs is presented utilizing earth and ocean dynamical data keyed to finitely defined parameters. The model is an assemblage of mathematical algorithms with an inherent capability of maturation with progressive improvements in observational data frequencies, accuracies and scopes. The Eom in its present state is a first-order approach to a geophysical model of the earth's dynamics

Adaptive volume penalization for ocean modeling

The development of various volume penalization techniques for use in modeling topographical features in the ocean is the focus of this paper. Due to the complicated geometry inherent in ocean boundaries, the stair-step representation used in the majority of current global ocean circulation models causes accuracy and numerical stability problems. Brinkman penalization is the basis for the methods developed here and is a numerical technique used to enforce no-slip boundary conditions through the addition of a term to the governing equations. The second aspect to this proposed approach is that all governing equations are solved on a nonuniform, adaptive grid through the use of the adaptive wavelet collocation method. This method solves the governing equations on temporally and spatially varying meshes, which allows higher effective resolution to be obtained with less computational cost. When penalization methods are coupled with the adaptive wavelet collocation method, the flow near the boundary can be well-resolved. It is especially useful for simulations of boundary currents and tsunamis, where flow near the boundary is important. This paper will give a thorough analysis of these methods applied to the shallow water equations, as well as some preliminary work applying these methods to volume penalization for bathymetry representation for use in either the nonhydrostatic or hydrostatic primitive equations

Editorial-The 2nd International Workshop on Modeling the Ocean (IWMO-2010)

The formation of the International Workshop on Modeling the Ocean (IWMO) in 2009 has been motivated by the rapid growth in ocean modeling research around the world. In particular, the spread of ocean modeling research in Asia during recent years and the establishment of many international collaborative modeling projects led to the first meeting, IWMO-2009, which was held in Taipei, Taiwan, 23–26 February 2009 (see the two special issues resulted from this meeting: Oey et al. 2010a, b). The second meeting (IWMO-2010; http://www.ccpo.odu.edu/∼tezer/ IWMO_2010/) was hosted by the Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, USA, 24–26 May 2010

Introduction to special section on The U.S. IOOS Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed

Strong and strategic collaborations among experts from academia, federal operational centers, and industry have been forged to create a U.S. IOOS Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT). The COMT mission is to accelerate the transition of scientific and technical advances from the coastal and ocean modeling research community to improved operational ocean products and services. This is achieved via the evaluation of existing technology or the development of new technology depending on the status of technology within the research community. The initial phase of the COMT has addressed three coastal and ocean prediction challenges of great societal importance: estuarine hypoxia, shelf hypoxia, and coastal inundation. A fourth effort concentrated on providing and refining the cyberinfrastructure and cyber tools to support the modeling work and to advance interoperability and community access to the COMT archive. This paper presents an overview of the initiation of the COMT, the findings of each team and a discussion of the role of the COMT in research to operations and its interface with the coastal and ocean modeling community in general. Detailed technical results are presented in the accompanying series of 16 technical papers in this special issue