EMC/MMAB - OPC Gulf Stream Finder Project
This is a collaboration between the Marine Modeling and Analysis
Branch and the Ocean Prediction Center, both of NCEP, to develop
an automated means of locating the Gulf Stream from marine model
output. The goal is to provide timely, accurate, guidance to
marine forecasters on the Gulf Stream's location, present and future,
so as to be able
to improve forecasts of wave state. The model currently being used
is the Regional Ocean Forecast System from the MMAB.
The automated finder works by using genetic algorithms to evolve functions
whose maxima are nearest the 'known' locations of the Gulf Stream. The
analysis of of Gulf Stream position from the Navy, provided 3 times per
week by manual analysis of various surface temperature data, is taken
as the known location.
The automated finder currently works from input provided by the model's
sea surface elevation field. From preliminary testing, this has shown
both to provide the best analysis agreement, and the best deviations.
That is, in general, it agrees well with the analysis when one is available,
but its disagreements favor the use to which OPC forecasters will be making
of it -- making dynamical corrections to wave forecasts. The relevant
dynamics may be slightly offset from the thermal fields, both in reality
and in the model.
Please send comments and questions about the finder itself to
Robert Grumbine.
Comments and questions about improving wave forecasts by making use of
this product should be sent to
Joseph Sienkiewicz.
Last Modified 26 June 2003
Nowcast
24-Hour forecast
48-Hour forecast
- Data files are named BASE.YYYYMMDD.EXTENSION
- BASE is either analyzed or reformed. They're simply two different plain text expressions of the same result.
- YYYYMMDD is the current day's year, month, day
- EXTENSION is the forecast interval
- Nowcast is n00
- 1 day forecast is f24
- 2 day forecast is f48
You can ftp the files from ftp://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/pub/gsf.
View the documentation of code and scripts
Go to Ocean Forecast System Page
Go to MMAB main page
Go to OPC main page
