Pullen, J., R. Allard, H. Seo, A. J. Miller,
S. Chen, L. P. Pezzi, T. Smith, P. Chu, J. Alves and R. Caldeira, 2017:
Coupled ocean-atmosphere forecasting
at short and medium time scales
In:
The Science of Ocean Prediction, The Sea, Volume 17, N. Pinardi, P. Lermusiaux and K. Brink, eds., in press.
Abstract.
Recent technological advances over the past few decades have enabled the development
of fully coupled atmosphere-ocean modeling prediction systems which are used today to
support short-term (days to weeks) and medium-term (10-21 days) needs for both the
operational and research communities. Utilizing several coupled modeling systems we
overview the coupling framework, including model components and grid resolution
considerations, as well as the coupling physics by examining heat fluxes between
atmosphere and ocean, momentum transfer, and freshwater fluxes. These modeling
systems can be run as fully coupled atmosphere-ocean and atmosphere-ocean-wave
configurations. Examples of several modeling systems applied to complex coastal
regions including Madeira Island, Adriatic Sea, Coastal California, Gulf of Mexico,
Brazil, and the Maritime Continent are presented. In many of these studies, a variety of
field campaigns have contributed to a better understanding of the underlying physics
associated with the atmosphere-ocean feedbacks. Examples of improvements in
predictive skill when run in coupled mode versus standalone are shown. Coupled model
challenges such as model initialization, data assimilation, and earth system prediction are
discussed.
Preprint (pdf)