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Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System

The WRF and MM5 meteorological models are structured grid finite-difference models. MM5 uses the B-grid, first-order leapfrog scheme for time integration, second-order centered difference scheme for advection, and time split modes for acoustic and gravity waves. This model does not guarantee the conservation of mass. WRF uses the C-grid, third-order Runge-Kutta split-explicts scheme for time integration, fifth-order upwind scheme or sixth-order centered difference schemes for advection, and time split modes for acoustic and gravity waves. This model is discretized using the structured grid finite-volume flux method, with guarantee of mass conservation. Both MM5 and WRF include four-dimensional data assimilations for the hindcast operation. MM5 uses a simple nudging method, while WRF has adjoint method. Based on our experiences, the two methods produce very similar results, and at least two domains with a two-way interaction are needed to avoid the unrealistic local adjustment from the model to data, no matter which method (nudging or adjoint) is used.

Click "WRF" or "MM5" on the left column to view the regional and local computational domains for meteorological forecast models.

FVCOM used for NECOFS are based on our configuration for the Gulf of Maine (GOM)/Georges Bank (GB)/New England Shelf (NES) regions. The computational domain covers the regional ocean enclosed by an open boundary running from the New Jersey shelf to the Scotian shelf. At present, we have three generations of GOM /GB/NES FVCOM available to meet the need for different applications. The forecast system displayed here is based on the 2nd and 3rd generation of GOM/GB FVCOM. The major difference between 2nd and 3rd generation FVCOMs is in horizontal resolution and vertical coordinates. The 2nd generation model uses the sigma-coordinate with 31 levels, while the 3rd generation model uses the generalized terrain-following coordinate with 46 levels to have uniiform layers near the surface and bottom. In the 3rd generation model, horizontal redsolution is refined along the shelf break and also thr grid is generated in such a way that it can be nested to the local high-resolution model (with finest resolution up to 10 m) with the same grids at the nesting boundaries.

Click "FVCOM-GOM-G2" or "FVCOM-GOM-G3" to view the computational domains for 2nd and 3rd generation GOM/GB FVCOM. G2 and G3 represent the 2nd and 3rd generations.

FVCOM-SWAVE is run using a computational domain covering the large area of the North Atlantic Ocean. In such an approach, no open boundary conditions are required to be specified. With flexibility of unstructured grid, the computation time required to run FVCOM-SWAVE over this larger domain is not significantly greater than to run the model using only the GOM/GB FVCOM grid.

Click "FVCOM-SWAVE" to view the computational domain for the FVCOM-SWAVE application in the NECOFS region.

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