Implementation of the Curvi-linear Princeton Ocean Model 2000 for the North Norwegian coast

Oceanic models are fundamental and important tools in studies of oceanographic and ecological processes. Outside the coast of Norway, they have been used for studies of dispersal of planktonic organisms, shrimp larvae and capelin larvae etc. We propose to implement the POM2K for North Norwegian coastal waters with realistic boundary conditions, initial conditions and atmospheric forcing. At present, there is a lack of mesoscale models at a high resolution of 1-3 km in this area which can resolve mesoscal e features in Norwegian shelf and fjord regions. The model will be validated against existing field data through a mapping of semi-synoptic data. POM2Kwill fill the gaps between the existing open ocean models and coastal regions of interests, and the spat ial and temporal gaps between field surveys. In this way, we will have a better understanding of the coastal ocean mesoscale physical and biological processes and will increase our capability to predict the coastal productivity. The proposed work will str engthen the strategic capacity and scientific community of the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science in modeling and oceanography. The POM2K will serve as a fundamental research tool in ongoing projects like ?Capelin and herring in the Barents Sea - coe xistence or exclusion? (BASECOEX) and planned future research proposals.