The Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) operates regional versions of the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) for the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, U.S East Coast, and the northeast Pacific (including the Gulf of Alaska). The Navy originally developed and implemented a global version of NCOM to model global ocean conditions.
Access Methods
For operational, 24/7/365 access to updates of this product and other NCOM High Resolution Oceanic Models, consider using the high-availability servers at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). These products are also available through the Ocean Prediction Center.
| Product | Scale | POR | Model Cycle | Output Time Step | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AmSeas, Recent | 1/30° | 2020-12-17–Present | 1 day | 3 hours | |
| AmSeas, Prior | 1/36° | 2013-04-05–2020-12-16 | 1 day | 3 hours | |
| U.S. East, Recent | 1/30° | 2020-12-17–Present | 1 day | 3 hours | |
| U.S. East, Prior | 1/36° | 2013-04-05– 2020-12-16 | 1 day | 3 hours | |
| U.S. East, Earliest | 1/36° | 2009-02-08 to 2009-11-18 | 1 day | 3 hours | |
| Alaska | 1/30° | 2020-12-17–Present | 1 day | 3 hours |
Specifications
These models use the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation (NCODA) to assimilate quality-controlled observations from each region, including satellite sea surface temperature and altimetry, as well as surface and profile temperature and salinity data. Boundary conditions are applied from the FNMOC operational 1/12 degree Global HYCOM. Prior to April 2013, boundary conditions were applied from the Navy operational Global NCOM.
The horizontal resolution of these datasets was changed in April 2013, requiring that the time-aggregated datasets be split between data prior to that time and data after that time. All regional NCOM output after November 2009 has 40 depth levels, while output prior to that has 34 levels. Because the USEAST dataset spans both the vertical and horizontal resolution changes, it has been divided into three separate aggregations.
Product Details
- Forecast Length: 4-day, 3-hour time steps
- Updated: Daily at 00Z
- Horizontal Resolution: 1/30° (~3km)*
- Vertical Resolution: 40 standard depths
*Data generated before April 5, 2013 has a horizontal resolution of roughly 1/36
Variables
- Ocean temperature
- Salinity
- Elevation
- Eastward and northward currents
File Format
NetCDF (contains variables and atmospheric forcing fields provided over the model domain by a 15 km application of the Navy's COAMPS model.)
