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| Modular Ocean Model | |
|---|---|
| Name | Modular Ocean Model |
| Author | Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory |
| Developer | NOAA |
| Released | 1980s |
| Latest release | v4.1 (example) |
| Programming language | Fortran (programming language) |
| Operating system | Unix |
| Genre | Numerical weather prediction; Oceanography |
Modular Ocean Model is a numerical ocean circulation model developed to simulate three-dimensional ocean dynamics for climate and forecasting studies. The model has been applied within large-scale projects and centers including Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and Met Office. It supports coupled experiments with Earth system models used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments and regional forecasting systems such as HYCOM and MITgcm integrations.
The Modular Ocean Model provides a flexible framework for representing thermohaline circulation, baroclinic processes, and mesoscale variability across basins like the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Indian Ocean. Its configuration options have been employed in projects such as CMIP6, Argo (oceanography), World Ocean Circulation Experiment, CLIVAR, and PIRATA. Research groups at institutions including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Washington, and National Center for Atmospheric Research use it alongside observational programs like TOGA and GEOTRACES.
Development traces to numerical modeling efforts at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in the 1980s, influenced by pioneers such as J. O. Blundell and other modelers from Princeton University and California Institute of Technology. Subsequent development involved collaborations with NOAA laboratories, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and European groups at Hadley Centre. Major milestones include implementations of advective schemes comparable to techniques in Primitive equations (geophysics), incorporation of turbulence closures akin to schemes used at Universität Hamburg, and adoption in intercomparison projects like Model Intercomparison Project meetings hosted by International CLIVAR Project Office.
The model employs modular subroutines for core components: dynamical core, equation of state, mixing parameterizations, and surface forcing. The dynamical core solves the hydrostatic primitive equations used in models such as NEMO (ocean model) and POP (Parallel Ocean Program). Component interfaces align with coupler frameworks developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts to facilitate linkage with atmospheric models like GFS and ECMWF Integrated Forecast System. Ancillary modules support bathymetry datasets from ETOPO1, boundary conditions referencing World Ocean Atlas, and tracer suites compatible with CMIP biogeochemical components.
Numerical choices include finite-difference discretization on z-level or terrain-following grids analogous to approaches used in ROMS and SUNTANS. Vertical mixing options feature schemes similar to K-profile parameterization and second-moment closures employed at Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Advection algorithms incorporate flux-limiter techniques parallel to those in SHASTA and time-stepping strategies comparable to semi-implicit schemes used at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Thermodynamics uses equation-of-state formulations consistent with standards from IOC (UNESCO) and TEOS-10 conventions.
Coupling interfaces enable two-way exchanges with atmospheric components such as Community Atmosphere Model, sea-ice models like CICE (model), and land surface schemes exemplified by Community Land Model. The model integrates with couplers following designs from Earth System Modeling Framework and NUOPC (National Unified Operational Prediction Capability) to support experiments for agencies such as NOAA and NASA. Standardized offline forcing pipelines make use of reanalysis datasets like ERA5, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, and satellite products from TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason (satellite) missions.
Applications cover climate-scale simulations, seasonal prediction, paleoclimate reconstructions, and regional coastal studies used by U.S. Navy for operational guidance and by universities for academic research. The model has been applied to study phenomena such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, Gulf Stream, Kuroshio Current, and marginal sea processes in the Mediterranean Sea. Interdisciplinary projects include coupling to biogeochemical models for Global Ocean Biogeochemistry studies and ecosystem assessments used by PICES and ICES.
Validation practices leverage observational programs and datasets including Argo (oceanography), WOA, GO-SHIP, and satellite altimetry from Jason (satellite) to evaluate sea surface height and temperature. Model skill assessment uses metrics developed in intercomparison contexts such as CMIP and regional evaluation protocols from ESMValTool and PANGEA (data repository). Performance comparisons are made against contemporaries like HYCOM, ROMS, and MITgcm in community workshops hosted by CLIVAR and IOCCG.
The codebase is implemented primarily in Fortran (programming language), maintained in version control systems and distributed to research groups including NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory collaborators, university labs at Columbia University, University of California, San Diego, and national centers such as NERSC. Community development occurs through mailing lists, workshops at conferences like AGU Fall Meeting and Ocean Sciences Meeting, and contributions tracked via platforms used by organizations such as GitHub and GitLab. Training and documentation are provided in tutorials sponsored by SIO and WHOI summer programs.
Category:Ocean models