Chapter 25
OCEAN FORECAST AND ANALYSIS MODELS
FOR COASTAL OBSERVATORIES
John L. Wilkin and Lyon Lanerolle
1
1 Now at: Coast Survey Development Laboratory, National Ocean Service, NOAA, Silver
Abstract:
Physical circulation processes in the coastal ocean affect air-sea interaction,
sediment transport, the dispersal of nutrients and pollutants from terrestrial
sources, and shelf-wide ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycling. A
burgeoning network of coastal ocean observatories is expanding our ability to
study these processes by simultaneously observing coastal ocean physics,
meteorology, geochemistry and ecology at resolutions suited to quantitative
interdisciplinary analysis. Complementary developments in ocean modeling
have introduced more accurate numerical algorithms, improved
parameterizations of unresolved sub-grid-scale mixing and boundary layer
processes, and a transition to higher resolution on parallel computing
platforms. The formulation and capabilities of modern coastal models are
illustrated here with two examples from applications in the Mid-Atlantic Bight
region of the northeast U.S. continental shelf. These are the Coupled Boundary
Layers and Air-Sea Transfer (CBLAST) program centered on the Martha’s
Vineyard Coastal Observatory, and the Lagrangian Transport and
Transformation Experiment (LATTE) centered on the Hudson River plume.
The studies utilize the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) as a
forecast tool to assist in the deployment of moveable instrumentation, and as a
synthesis tool to aid the interpretation of observations. It is shown that regional
models have the resolution and accuracy to capture the dominant features of
the coastal ocean heat and salinity budget on diurnal to weekly time scales in
regions with strong tides, vertical stratification, and highly variable
bathymetry.
Keywords:
Coastal oceanography, ocean modeling, coastal observatories.
549
E.P. Chassignet, Jacques Verron (eds.), Ocean Weather Forecasting, 549-572.
© 200 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.
6
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey,
Spring, Maryland, USA
USA
OCEAN FORECAST AND ANALYSIS MODELS
FOR COASTAL OBSERVATORIES
John L. Wilkin and Lyon Lanerolle
1
1 Now at: Coast Survey Development Laboratory, National Ocean Service, NOAA, Silver
Abstract:
Physical circulation processes in the coastal ocean affect air-sea interaction,
sediment transport, the dispersal of nutrients and pollutants from terrestrial
sources, and shelf-wide ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycling. A
burgeoning network of coastal ocean observatories is expanding our ability to
study these processes by simultaneously observing coastal ocean physics,
meteorology, geochemistry and ecology at resolutions suited to quantitative
interdisciplinary analysis. Complementary developments in ocean modeling
have introduced more accurate numerical algorithms, improved
parameterizations of unresolved sub-grid-scale mixing and boundary layer
processes, and a transition to higher resolution on parallel computing
platforms. The formulation and capabilities of modern coastal models are
illustrated here with two examples from applications in the Mid-Atlantic Bight
region of the northeast U.S. continental shelf. These are the Coupled Boundary
Layers and Air-Sea Transfer (CBLAST) program centered on the Martha’s
Vineyard Coastal Observatory, and the Lagrangian Transport and
Transformation Experiment (LATTE) centered on the Hudson River plume.
The studies utilize the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) as a
forecast tool to assist in the deployment of moveable instrumentation, and as a
synthesis tool to aid the interpretation of observations. It is shown that regional
models have the resolution and accuracy to capture the dominant features of
the coastal ocean heat and salinity budget on diurnal to weekly time scales in
regions with strong tides, vertical stratification, and highly variable
bathymetry.
Keywords:
Coastal oceanography, ocean modeling, coastal observatories.
549
E.P. Chassignet, Jacques Verron (eds.), Ocean Weather Forecasting, 549-572.
© 200 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands.
6
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey,
Spring, Maryland, USA
USA