Real-Time Ocean Forecasting System in support of U.S. Coast Guard's Search and Rescue Operations
Abstract
This talk will describe a real-time ocean forecasting system off the U.S. west coast developed to enhance U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) decision support tools for search and rescue operations. The forecasting model is based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) with multi-domain nested configurations. A multi-scale 3-dimensional variational (3DVAR) data assimilation scheme is used to assimilate both in situ (e.g., gliders) and remotely sensed data from both satellite and land-based platforms (e.g., high-frequency (HF) radars). The performance of this real-time ocean forecasting system was evaluated during a two-week field experiment during July-August 2009 in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The 72-hour ocean forecast fields in Alaska's Prince William Sound and California coastal ocean are now produced in real-time and accessible by the USCG's decision support tool during search and rescue operations. Recent test results using the independent data collected by the USCG will be discussed.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFMGC13D..07S
- Keywords:
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- 1622 GLOBAL CHANGE / Earth system modeling;
- 1635 GLOBAL CHANGE / Oceans;
- 1637 GLOBAL CHANGE / Regional climate change;
- 4504 OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL / Air/sea interactions