Non-uniform adaptive vertical grids for 3D numerical ocean models

in Ocean Modelling (2010), 33

A new strategy for the vertical gridding in terrain-following 3D ocean models is presented here. The vertical grid adaptivity is partially given by a vertical diffusion equation for the vertical layer ... [more ▼]

A new strategy for the vertical gridding in terrain-following 3D ocean models is presented here. The vertical grid adaptivity is partially given by a vertical diffusion equation for the vertical layer positions, with diffusivities being proportional to shear, stratification and distance from the boundaries. In the horizontal, the grid can be smoothed with respect to z-levels, grid layer slope and density. Lagrangian tendency of the grid movement is supported. The adaptive terrain-following grid can be set to be an Eulerian–Lagrangian grid, a hybrid r–q or r–z grid and combinations of these with great flexibility. With this, internal flow structures such as thermoclines can be well resolved and followed by the grid. A set of idealised examples is presented in the paper, which show that the introduced adaptive grid strategy reduces pressure gradient errors and numerical mixing significantly. The grid adaption strategy is easy to implement in various types of terrain-following ocean models. The idealised examples give evidence that the adaptive grids can improve realistic, long-term simulations of stratified seas while keeping the advantages of terrain-following coordinates. [less ▲]

Evaluation of metabolic rates in various communities in the Bay of Calvi using optodes based on different approaches

Conference (2010)

Modeling and observation of an upwelling filament off Cape Ghir (NW~Africa) during the CAIBEX campaign

Poster (2009, November 27)

Ensemble smoother for optimizing tidal boundary conditions and bottom roughness by assimilation of High-Frequency Radar surface currents

Conference (2009, September)

High-Frequency (HF) radars measure the ocean currents at various spatial and temporal scales. These include tidal currents, wind-driven circulation, density-driven circulation and Stokes drift. Sequential ... [more ▼]

High-Frequency (HF) radars measure the ocean currents at various spatial and temporal scales. These include tidal currents, wind-driven circulation, density-driven circulation and Stokes drift. Sequential assimilation methods updating the model state have been proven successful to correct the density-driven currents by assimilation of observations such as sea surface height, sea surface temperature and in-situ profiles. However, the situation is different for tides in coastal models since these are not generated within the domain, but are rather propagated inside the domain through the boundary conditions. For improving the modeled tidal variability it is therefore not sufficient to update the model state via data assimilation without updating the boundary conditions. The optimization of boundary conditions to match observations inside the domain is traditionally achieved through variational assimilation methods. In this work we present an ensemble smoother to improve the tidal boundary values so that the model represents more closely the observed currents. To create an ensemble of dynamically realistic boundary conditions, a cost function is formulated which is directly related to the probability of each perturbation. This cost function ensures that the perturbations are spatially smooth and that the structure of the perturbations satisfies approximately the harmonic linearized shallow water equations. Based on those perturbations an ensemble simulation is carried out using the full three-dimension General Estuarine Ocean Model (GETM). Optimized boundary values are obtained using all observations within the assimilation period using the covariances of the ensemble simulation. [less ▲]

Modelling the Gibraltar Strait/Western Alboran Sea ecohydrodynamics

in Ocean Dynamics (2009), 59(3), 489-508

The ecohydrodynamics of the Gibraltar Strait and the Western Alboran Sea is investigated using a 3-D, two-way nested, coupled hydrodynamic/plankton ecosystem model, exploiting the MEDATLAS climatological ... [more ▼]

The ecohydrodynamics of the Gibraltar Strait and the Western Alboran Sea is investigated using a 3-D, two-way nested, coupled hydrodynamic/plankton ecosystem model, exploiting the MEDATLAS climatological database. A high-resolution model (~1 km) of the Gibraltar/Western Alboran region embedded within a coarse-resolution model of the West Mediterranean (~5 km) is implemented. The model seasonal climatology of the 3-D circulation and the flow characteristics at the Gibraltar Strait and the Alboran Sea are discussed, and their impact on the plankton ecosystem evolution is explored. An important ecohydrodynamic feature produced by the model is a permanent upwelling zone in the northwestern part of the Alboran Sea in agreement with observations. Model results show that both horizontal and vertical current intensity of the Atlantic Jet increases progressively at the strait to obtain maximum values in the northeastern Mediterranean entrance, inducing an upward displacement of the nitracline. The nutrient-rich water transport through the strait along with the generation of cyclonic vorticity in the northwestern Alboran Sea result in the accumulation of nutrients there and thus induce a permanent fertilisation of this area. [less ▲]

High-resolution Climatology of the North-East Atlantic using Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis

Conference (2009, April 21)

S,T-climatologies of the North Sea using the Variational Inverse Method

Poster (2009, April 19)

Uses of DINEOF algorithm (Data interpolation with Empirical Orthogonal Functions) for reconstruction and analysis of incomplete satellite databases over the North Sea and the Mediterranean, synthesis from the RECOLOUR project.

Conference (2009, April)

Modelling error of a hydrodynamic model of the Mediterranean Sea

Conference (2009)

A web interface for griding arbitrarily distributed in situ data based on Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis (Diva)

Conference (2009)

Spatial interpolation of observations on a regular grid is a common task in many ceanographic disciplines (and geosciences in general). It is often used to create climatological maps for physical ... [more ▼]

Spatial interpolation of observations on a regular grid is a common task in many ceanographic disciplines (and geosciences in general). It is often used to create climatological maps for physical, biological or chemical parameters representing e.g. monthly or seasonally averaged fields. Since instantaneous observations can not be directly related to a field representing an average, simple spatial interpolation of observations is in general not acceptable. Diva (Data-Interpolating Variational Analysis) is an analysis tool which takes the error in the observations and the typical spatial scale of the underlying field into account. Barriers due to the coastline and the topography in general and also currents estimates (if available) are used to propagate the information of a given observation spatially. Diva is a command-line driven application written in Fortran and Shell Scripts. The observations and parameters are specified by the user using text files. The analyzed field and the expected error variance are returned as NetCDF files. This form of interaction with Diva is very similar to other high-performance codes and is a familiar approach for ocean modelers. However it represents a steep learning curve for oceanographers from other disciplines not familiar with command-line applications and programming. To make Diva easier to use, a web interface has been developed (http://gher-diva.phys.ulg.ac.be). Installation and compilation of Diva is therefore not required. The user can directly upload his/her data in ASCII format and enter several parameters for the analysis. The analyzed field, location of the observations, and the error mask are presented as different layers using the Web Map Service protocol. They are visualized in the browser using the Javascript library OpenLayers allowing the user to interact with layers (for example zooming and panning). Finally, the results can be downloaded as a NetCDF file, Matlab file (also readable in Octave, an open source program similar to Matlab) and Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file for visualisation in applications such as Google Earth. [less ▲]