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MARE-Marine ressurser,miljø og forv

The impact of high-resolution atmospheric model forcing on operational coastal and shelf ocean models HAMFOM),Dr.gr.stip./utenl.stip.England

Awarded: NOK 1.5 mill.

Prosjektsammendrag: Considered is how oceanic frontogenesis and cyclogenesis processes are affected by exploiting recent high-resolution atmosphere model results as driving forces. The study is motivated by the fact that the trend in numerical weather prediction (NWP) is toward application of atmosphere models of increasingly higher resolution and the application of non-hydrostatic models to replace the NWP models based on the hydrostatic model concept. At present it is not clear how this increased resolution and change in model concept will affect the oceanic response in terms of the above processes. Equally important, it is unclear whether this increased resolution and change requires a different parameterization of how fluxes of momentum, heat and moisture is transferred to the ocean model in terms of forcing fields. The present study intends to provide some answers to these questions and to quantify their possible effects. The method is to perform dedicated model experiments and to apply advanced analyses in terms of potential vorticity and energy diagnostics to the results of the model experiments. To this end the present numerical ocean weather prediction (NOWP) system at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (DNMI) is employed. Finally, the study will address the question of how to best implement the result into tomorrows NOWP models, and whether a two-way atmosphere-ocean coupling might be necessary in the future. The correct representation of fronts and eddies in the NOWP results is important since the NOWP model results provide the physical basis for the existing nowcast/forecast systems for ecological variables, for search and rescue services, and oil drift.

Funding scheme:

MARE-Marine ressurser,miljø og forv

Thematic Areas and Topics

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