120
a buoy moored in Vieques Sound to the east of the main island of Puerto Rico.
Observations at the buoy over a 72 h period (September 19–21, 2017) during storm
passage reported significant wave height (SWH) ascending to 6.09 m at 07:00 local
time. The CariCOOS model SWH forecast of around 5.2 m underestimated the measured value by about 15% and anticipated peak SWH by about 2 h. Ample warning
of significant wave action within the sound was thus provided by the 72 h forecast.
Interestingly, while the supporting WRF wind model correctly anticipated the wind
reversal later recorded by buoy anemometers, the wave model failed to capture the
sudden drop and recovery of SWH following the initial peak seen in the buoy data
coincident with observed wind reversal and 37 mb decrease in barometric pressure.
6.4 Lagrangian Tracking for Spill Response and Search
and Rescue
Lagrangian particle tracking is a modeling application to extract Lagrangian trajectories from the Eulerian description provided by hydrodynamic models and/or HF
radar output. Hindcast and forecast model runs provide estimates of trajectories
following an initial event to the present and into the future thus facilitating search
and rescue operations at sea and emergency spill response.
The US Coast Guard search and rescue operations (as well as those of many
other coast guards worldwide) are planned using the Environmental Data Server
(EDS), a data storage and retrieval system, as well as a software environment, the
Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS). An advanced version of
the Short Term Predictive System (STPS) (Barrick et al. 2012), a stochastic Monte
Carlo model, now assimilates data from the IOOS mid-range HF radar network for
SAROPS.
NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration has developed a General NOAA
Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) as a modeling tool to facilitate spill
tracking and response as well as response training (Beegle-Krause 2001). GNOME
operates in conjunction with hydrodynamic models which provide current speed
and direction. A large number (>500–10,000) of virtual Lagrangian Elements (LE),
also called splots (for spill dots), are released at the spill site and displacement
vectors are computed for each time step. To portray stochastic dispersion, a usersupplied dispersion coefficient is applied so that diverging splots may be depicted
as a widening cloud.
6.5 Chemical Models for Coastal Ocean Observing
Numerical chemical models incorporate equilibrium and kinetic rate constants plus
mass balance formulations to resolve specific reactions such as those here described
(Chap. 2) for inorganic carbon equilibrium. Adverse ecological consequences of
6 Numerical Models for Operational Ocean Observing
a buoy moored in Vieques Sound to the east of the main island of Puerto Rico.
Observations at the buoy over a 72 h period (September 19–21, 2017) during storm
passage reported significant wave height (SWH) ascending to 6.09 m at 07:00 local
time. The CariCOOS model SWH forecast of around 5.2 m underestimated the measured value by about 15% and anticipated peak SWH by about 2 h. Ample warning
of significant wave action within the sound was thus provided by the 72 h forecast.
Interestingly, while the supporting WRF wind model correctly anticipated the wind
reversal later recorded by buoy anemometers, the wave model failed to capture the
sudden drop and recovery of SWH following the initial peak seen in the buoy data
coincident with observed wind reversal and 37 mb decrease in barometric pressure.
6.4 Lagrangian Tracking for Spill Response and Search
and Rescue
Lagrangian particle tracking is a modeling application to extract Lagrangian trajectories from the Eulerian description provided by hydrodynamic models and/or HF
radar output. Hindcast and forecast model runs provide estimates of trajectories
following an initial event to the present and into the future thus facilitating search
and rescue operations at sea and emergency spill response.
The US Coast Guard search and rescue operations (as well as those of many
other coast guards worldwide) are planned using the Environmental Data Server
(EDS), a data storage and retrieval system, as well as a software environment, the
Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS). An advanced version of
the Short Term Predictive System (STPS) (Barrick et al. 2012), a stochastic Monte
Carlo model, now assimilates data from the IOOS mid-range HF radar network for
SAROPS.
NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration has developed a General NOAA
Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) as a modeling tool to facilitate spill
tracking and response as well as response training (Beegle-Krause 2001). GNOME
operates in conjunction with hydrodynamic models which provide current speed
and direction. A large number (>500–10,000) of virtual Lagrangian Elements (LE),
also called splots (for spill dots), are released at the spill site and displacement
vectors are computed for each time step. To portray stochastic dispersion, a usersupplied dispersion coefficient is applied so that diverging splots may be depicted
as a widening cloud.
6.5 Chemical Models for Coastal Ocean Observing
Numerical chemical models incorporate equilibrium and kinetic rate constants plus
mass balance formulations to resolve specific reactions such as those here described
(Chap. 2) for inorganic carbon equilibrium. Adverse ecological consequences of
6 Numerical Models for Operational Ocean Observing