Near Real-time Outputs from the University of South Florida Indian Ocean Wind-Driven Circulation Model

This directory contains a "quick-look" hindcast of the Indian Ocean
wind-driven circulation from a numerical ocean model being run at USF
using near-real-time observed winds. The model products are produced
under support from the Office of Naval Research and the National
Science Foundation Chemical Oceanography Program. The model is that
described in Jensen (1991) as modified by Jorge Capella to include a
finer spatial resolution, an improved bathymetry, and an extended
domain. The present version of the model has 4 layers, with the
horizontal pressure gradient assumed to vanish in the lowest layer
(the reduced gravity approximation). The mean layer depths are: layer
1: 0 - 200 m; layer 2: 200 - 450 m; layer 3: 450 - 850 m. The model
domain covers the Indian Ocean basin from 30 degrees S to 26 degrees N
and from 35 degrees E to 120 degrees E at a resolution of 1/12 degree
in latitude and longitude. A 20-year integration, driven by
climatological monthly mean winds from the FSU analysis, has been used
to "spin-up" the model. Using the end of this 20-year integration as
an initial condition, the model was run using the FSU monthly mean
real-time winds for the period January 1977 through December
1991. This integration has been updated through the 16th of the most
recently ended month using the FSU "quick-look" winds to provide a
near-real- time estimate of conditions in the Indian Ocean. Model
output and images are available via anonymous ftp to
"ftp://kelvin.marine.usf.edu"

The wind stress fields used to drive the ocean model are compiled by
David Legler and Jim O'Brien at Florida State University. Monthly
mean wind fields are derived from all volunteer observing fleet ship
reports that are received during each month via the GTS. The fields
consist of monthly mean pseudostress (vector wind times wind speed)
components objectively analyzed on a 1 degree by 1 degree grid using
the method of Legler et al. (1988). About 6 months after the end of
the year, all the monthly mean fields are re- analyzed using
additional data that is received in "delayed-mode" to produce a
research-grade product. These data now cover the period from January
1977 through the end of the most recent month and are available on the
Internet via anonymous ftp to "ftp://coaps.fsu.edu" (128.186.157.25).

Link for more data set information:
"http://ompl.marine.usf.edu/ndnocn/index.html"

[Summary Extracted from documentation authored by Mark E. Luther,
Zaihua Ji, and Haihua Liu "http://ompl.marine.usf.edu/ndnocn/Info.html"]