553
models that share the objective of achieving reasonably faithful simulations
of regional momentum, heat and freshwater transports on space scales of a
few kilometers and time scales from tidal through diurnal cycle to several
weeks. In this paper we describe two similar on-going efforts to coordinate
ocean observing systems and predictive modeling in the Mid-Atlantic Bight
region of the Northeast North American shelf. These are the Coupled
Boundary Layers and Air-Sea Transfer (CBLAST) program centered on the
Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) on the south coast of
Massachusetts, and the Lagrangian Transport and Transformation
Experiment (LATTE) centered on the Hudson River plume that emanates
from New York Harbor. Though the two projects differ in the circulation
and ecosystem processes on which they focus, and in some features of the
observing technologies being applied, both adopt a similar approach to
formulating a companion ocean modeling capability. In both projects, the
ocean model is used both as a forecast tool to assist in the deployment of
moveable observational assets, and as a synthesis tool to aid the
interpretation of observations and their integration into conceptual
frameworks that allow rigorous testing of hypotheses regarding coastal
dynamics.
2.
Coastal observatories
Coastal ocean observational capabilities have advanced greatly in the
past decade. New observational technologies include CODAR (Coastal
Ocean Dynamics Application Radar) systems for mapping surface currents
over broad swaths of the coastal zone, autonomous underwater vehicles
(AUV) with physical and optical sensors that can profile the water column
out to the shelf break, and the advent of cabled observatories that allow the
long-term deployment of sub-sea time series instrumentation such as
profiling conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors, acoustic Doppler
current profilers (ADCP) and biological recorders. The availability of data in
real-time from these sources opens opportunities for operational
oceanographic applications in support of environmental quality monitoring,
fisheries management, maritime operations, and fundamental research.
In the following subsections we describe, briefly, two coastal observing
systems in operation in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. These are two among the
several regional observatories already established from Cape Hatteras to
Nova Scotia that collectively form the Northeast Observing System
partnership.
FORECAST AND MODELS FOR COASTAL OBSERVATORIES
models that share the objective of achieving reasonably faithful simulations
of regional momentum, heat and freshwater transports on space scales of a
few kilometers and time scales from tidal through diurnal cycle to several
weeks. In this paper we describe two similar on-going efforts to coordinate
ocean observing systems and predictive modeling in the Mid-Atlantic Bight
region of the Northeast North American shelf. These are the Coupled
Boundary Layers and Air-Sea Transfer (CBLAST) program centered on the
Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO) on the south coast of
Massachusetts, and the Lagrangian Transport and Transformation
Experiment (LATTE) centered on the Hudson River plume that emanates
from New York Harbor. Though the two projects differ in the circulation
and ecosystem processes on which they focus, and in some features of the
observing technologies being applied, both adopt a similar approach to
formulating a companion ocean modeling capability. In both projects, the
ocean model is used both as a forecast tool to assist in the deployment of
moveable observational assets, and as a synthesis tool to aid the
interpretation of observations and their integration into conceptual
frameworks that allow rigorous testing of hypotheses regarding coastal
dynamics.
2.
Coastal observatories
Coastal ocean observational capabilities have advanced greatly in the
past decade. New observational technologies include CODAR (Coastal
Ocean Dynamics Application Radar) systems for mapping surface currents
over broad swaths of the coastal zone, autonomous underwater vehicles
(AUV) with physical and optical sensors that can profile the water column
out to the shelf break, and the advent of cabled observatories that allow the
long-term deployment of sub-sea time series instrumentation such as
profiling conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors, acoustic Doppler
current profilers (ADCP) and biological recorders. The availability of data in
real-time from these sources opens opportunities for operational
oceanographic applications in support of environmental quality monitoring,
fisheries management, maritime operations, and fundamental research.
In the following subsections we describe, briefly, two coastal observing
systems in operation in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. These are two among the
several regional observatories already established from Cape Hatteras to
Nova Scotia that collectively form the Northeast Observing System
partnership.
FORECAST AND MODELS FOR COASTAL OBSERVATORIES