Introduction

         A shelf-scale circulation model is used to hindcast the coastal circulation in the gulf of Maine (GOM) and mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) during June, 2003 - December 2006. The model is based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS, http://www.myroms.org), a free-surface, primitive equation model in widespread use for estuarine, coastal and shelf-wide application. The spatial resolution of this model varies from 5km near the coast to 10km in the deep ocean. Vertically, 36 terrain-following layers are used and weighted to better resolve surface and bottom boundary layers. The model considers realistic surface forcing including: 6-hourly blended NCEP/QuikSCAT surface wind product, 6-hourly surface heat flux from NOAA NCEP reanalysis; real-time river runoff from USGS river gauges, and satellite sea surface temperature. Open boundary conditions are obtained through one-way nesting with the operational data assimilative (SSH and SST) North Atlantic HyCOM (http://hycom.rsmas.miami.edu/) plus harmonics of M2 tide from an ADCIRC tidal model simulation of the western Atlantic. The model is started on June 1, 2003 with the corresponding HyCOM fields, and is integrated continuously through December 31, 2006.

           Shown blow are some exemplary model fields for each of the hindcast years. Results are categorized by different time scales (ie., daily, monthly, and seasonal fields) to facilitate examinations of daily, monthly, seasonal, and inter-annual variability.

Model Results

    2003 (June-December)

•  Modeled daily surface ciruclation: Sea Level&current /Tempeature/Salinity/Density

•  Modeled daily transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean surface ciruclation: 1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled monthly-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean velocity fields along Cape Cod transect
  

•  Modeled Seasaonal-mean surface ciruclation:  1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled Seasonal-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects; 2) Tempeature&Salinity;  3)Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents       
  

   2004 (January-December)

•  Modeled daily surface ciruclation: Sea Level&current /Tempeature/Salinity/Density

•  Modeled daily transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean surface ciruclation: 1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled monthly-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean velocity fields along Cape Cod transect 

•  Modeled Seasaonal-mean surface ciruclation:  1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled Seasonal-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects; 2) Tempeature&Salinity;  3)Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

   2005 (January-December)

•  Modeled daily surface ciruclation: Sea Level&current /Tempeature/Salinity/Density

•  Modeled daily transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean surface ciruclation: 1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled monthly-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean velocity fields along Cape Cod transect

•  Modeled Seasaonal-mean surface ciruclation:  1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled Seasonal-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects; 2) Tempeature&Salinity;  3)Along-shelf & Across-shelf current

   2006 (January-December)

•  Modeled daily surface ciruclation: Sea Level&current /Tempeature/Salinity/Density

•  Modeled daily transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean surface ciruclation: 1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled monthly-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects;  2) Tempeature&Salinity; 3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf currents

•  Modeled monthly-mean velocity fields along Cape Cod transect
  

•  Modeled Seasaonal-mean surface ciruclation:  1) Tempeature & Current; 2) Salinity & Current; 3) Density & Current

•  Modeled Seasonal-mean transects: 1) Locations of Transects; 2) Tempeature&Salinity;  3) Along-shelf & Across-shelf current

•  Comparisons between Rutgers Satellite SST and Modeled SST

last updated: AUG 14, 2007.