The Gulf of Maine (GOM)/Georges Bank (GB) MM5 forecast and hindcast system was developed by the Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Modeling Laboratory at the School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth based on the fifth-generation NCAR/Penn State non-hydrostatic mesoscale meteorological model. This system is configured with two numerical domains with horizontal resolutions of 30 and 10 km, respectively, and driven by the hydrostatic NCAR-ETA weather model (with a horizontal resolution of 32 km) through a nested numerical approach. To improve the MM5-predicted surface air-sea fluxes, the Fairall et al (1996) air-sea flux algorithm with minor modifications described by Pawlowicz et al (2001) was added to the MM5 MRF planetary boundary layer model. The modified MM5 model assimilation runs with this modified surface layer model and the inclusion of daily AVHRR-derived SST.

For detailed information about the validation of the modified MM5, please refer to
Chen C., R. C. Beardsley, S. Hu, Q. Xu, and H. Lin.

Using MM5 to Hindcast the Ocean Surface Forcing Fields over the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank Region, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 2005.

The forecast is made every 3 days with snapshot of the distribution of surface wind stress, air pressure, humidity, and air temperature over a time interval of 3 hours. The temporal variation of these meteorological variables over the forecast period can be viewed by clicking “animation”. The hindcast is also made by data assimilation approach for the same period after the surface buoy and satellite-derived SST data are received. The shortwave of hindcast is re-adjusted based on ISCCP shortwave that is more accurate than MM5 output. The display structure of the hindcast model results are the same as those shown in the forecast model results.