Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GOMOOS) Modelling Data Products

All models produce an educated guess at future ocean conditions. Ocean models perform particularly well at predicting phenomena such as tide height, but less well at predicting currents. The largest impediment to effective prediction is lack of data. Thus, GoMOOS data could revolutionize ocean prediction in the Gulf of Maine.

The GoMOOS ocean circulation model is a sophisticated computer program to compute the currents and conditions that result when winds, waves and weather interact to produce ocean currents. It uses a model known as the Princeton Ocean Model. Every morning at around 10:00 a.m., the model downloads information from NOAA on winds, weather and other conditions. It also downloads river water volume data from the USGS. With this updated information, the model computes revised estimates of the existing and future conditions around the Gulf of Maine. See the University of Maine's GoMOOS modeling page for model outputs. Graphic (JPEG) images of temperature, salinity, and currents at various depths, sea-surface height relative to mean sea level, and graphical representations of the NOAA meteorological prediction for the Gulf of Maine region are available.