Articles | Volume 17, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-2359-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-2359-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comparison of 4-dimensional variational and ensemble optimal interpolation data assimilation systems using a Regional Ocean Modeling System (v3.4) configuration of the eddy-dominated East Australian Current system
Colette Gabrielle Kerry
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Coastal and Regional Oceanography Lab, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
Moninya Roughan
Coastal and Regional Oceanography Lab, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
Shane Keating
School of Mathematics and Statistics, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
David Gwyther
Coastal and Regional Oceanography Lab, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Gary Brassington
The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia
Adil Siripatana
Coastal and Regional Oceanography Lab, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
AI and Computer Engineering, CMKL University, Bangkok, Thailand
Joao Marcos A. C. Souza
Meteorological Service of New Zealand, MetOcean Division, Raglan, New Zealand
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Ocean eddies are important for weather, climate, biology, navigation, and search and rescue. Since eddies change rapidly, models that incorporate or assimilate observations are required to produce accurate eddy timings and locations, yet the model accuracy is rarely assessed below the surface. We use a unique type of ocean model experiment to assess three-dimensional eddy structure in the East Australian Current and explore two pathways in which this subsurface structure is being degraded.
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The ocean current flowing along the southeastern coast of Australia is called the East Australian Current (EAC). Using computer simulations, we tested how surface and subsurface observations might improve models of the EAC. Subsurface observations are particularly important for improving simulations, and if made in the correct location and time, can have impact 600 km upstream. The stability of the current affects model estimates could be capitalized upon in future observing strategies.
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1942, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1942, 2025
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ISOMIP+ compares 12 ocean models that simulate ice-ocean interactions in a common, idealised, static ice shelf cavity setup, aiming to assess and understand inter-model variability. Models simulate similar basal melt rate patterns, ocean profiles and circulation but differ in ice-ocean boundary layer properties and spatial distributions of melting. Ice-ocean boundary layer representation is a key area for future work, as are realistic-domain ice sheet-ocean model intercomparisons.
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The East Australian Current (EAC) plays an important role in the marine ecosystem and climate of the region. To understand the EAC regime and the inner shelf dynamics, we implement a variational approach to produce the first multiyear coastal radar dataset (2012–2023) in this region. The validated data allow for a comprehensive investigation of the EAC dynamics. This dataset will be useful for understanding the complex EAC regime and its far-reaching impacts on the shelf environment.
Benjamin Keith Galton-Fenzi, Richard Porter-Smith, Sue Cook, Eva Cougnon, David E. Gwyther, Wilma G. C. Huneke, Madelaine G. Rosevear, Xylar Asay-Davis, Fabio Boeira Dias, Michael S. Dinniman, David Holland, Kazuya Kusahara, Kaitlin A. Naughten, Keith W. Nicholls, Charles Pelletier, Ole Richter, Helene L. Seroussi, and Ralph Timmermann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4047, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4047, 2025
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Melting beneath Antarctica’s floating ice shelves is key to future sea-level rise. We compare several different ocean simulations with satellite measurements, and provide the first multi-model average estimate of melting and refreezing driven by both ocean temperature and currents beneath ice shelves. The multi-model average can provide a useful tool for better understanding the role of ice shelf melting in present-day and future ice-sheet changes and informing coastal adaptation efforts.
Qin Zhou, Chen Zhao, Rupert Gladstone, Tore Hattermann, David Gwyther, and Benjamin Galton-Fenzi
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 8243–8265, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-8243-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-8243-2024, 2024
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We introduce an accelerated forcing approach to address timescale discrepancies between the ice sheets and ocean components in coupled modelling by reducing the ocean simulation duration. The approach is evaluated using idealized coupled models, and its limitations in real-world applications are discussed. Our results suggest it can be a valuable tool for process-oriented coupled ice sheet–ocean modelling and downscaling climate simulations with such models.
Christopher J. Roach, Joao Marcos A. C. de Souza, Erik Behrens, and Stephen J. Stuart
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1962, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1962, 2024
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We have used a 5 km regional ocean model for New Zealand forced with a coarser resolution global model to project changes in under medium and high emissions scenarios. This is necessary since the global model is unable to resolve the small scale processes on the continental shelf which determine climate change may influence fisheries and aquaculture. We see the upper ocean warms at similar rates all around New Zealand, but that the deep ocean shows more rapid warming in the west and south.
Michael Hemming, Moninya Roughan, and Amandine Schaeffer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 887–901, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-887-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-887-2024, 2024
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We present new datasets that are useful for exploring extreme ocean temperature events in Australian coastal waters. These datasets span multiple decades, starting from the 1940s and 1950s, and include observations from the surface to the bottom at four coastal sites. The datasets provide valuable insights into the intensity, frequency and timing of extreme warm and cold temperature events and include event characteristics such as duration, onset and decline rates and their categorisation.
Michael P. Hemming, Moninya Roughan, Neil Malan, and Amandine Schaeffer
Ocean Sci., 19, 1145–1162, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1145-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1145-2023, 2023
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We estimate subsurface linear and non-linear temperature trends at five coastal sites adjacent to the East Australian Current (EAC). We see accelerating trends at both 34.1 and 42.6 °S and place our results in the context of previously reported trends, highlighting that magnitudes are depth-dependent and vary across latitude. Our results indicate the important role of regional dynamics and show the necessity of subsurface data for the improved understanding of regional climate change impacts.
Joao Marcos Azevedo Correia de Souza, Sutara H. Suanda, Phellipe P. Couto, Robert O. Smith, Colette Kerry, and Moninya Roughan
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 211–231, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-211-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-211-2023, 2023
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The current paper describes the configuration and evaluation of the Moana Ocean Hindcast, a > 25-year simulation of the ocean state around New Zealand using the Regional Ocean Modeling System v3.9. This is the first open-access, long-term, continuous, realistic ocean simulation for this region and provides information for improving the understanding of the ocean processes that affect the New Zealand exclusive economic zone.
David E. Gwyther, Shane R. Keating, Colette Kerry, and Moninya Roughan
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 157–178, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-157-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-157-2023, 2023
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Ocean eddies are important for weather, climate, biology, navigation, and search and rescue. Since eddies change rapidly, models that incorporate or assimilate observations are required to produce accurate eddy timings and locations, yet the model accuracy is rarely assessed below the surface. We use a unique type of ocean model experiment to assess three-dimensional eddy structure in the East Australian Current and explore two pathways in which this subsurface structure is being degraded.
David E. Gwyther, Colette Kerry, Moninya Roughan, and Shane R. Keating
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 6541–6565, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6541-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6541-2022, 2022
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The ocean current flowing along the southeastern coast of Australia is called the East Australian Current (EAC). Using computer simulations, we tested how surface and subsurface observations might improve models of the EAC. Subsurface observations are particularly important for improving simulations, and if made in the correct location and time, can have impact 600 km upstream. The stability of the current affects model estimates could be capitalized upon in future observing strategies.
Chen Zhao, Rupert Gladstone, Benjamin Keith Galton-Fenzi, David Gwyther, and Tore Hattermann
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 5421–5439, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5421-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5421-2022, 2022
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We use a coupled ice–ocean model to explore an oscillation feature found in several contributing models to MISOMIP1. The oscillation is closely related to the discretized grounding line retreat and likely strengthened by the buoyancy–melt feedback and/or melt–geometry feedback near the grounding line, and frequent ice–ocean coupling. Our model choices have a non-trivial impact on mean melt and ocean circulation strength, which might be interesting for the coupled ice–ocean community.
Ole Richter, David E. Gwyther, Matt A. King, and Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi
The Cryosphere, 16, 1409–1429, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1409-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1409-2022, 2022
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Tidal currents may play an important role in Antarctic ice sheet retreat by changing the rate at which the ocean melts glaciers. Here, using a computational ocean model, we derive the first estimate of present-day tidal melting that covers all of Antarctica. Our results suggest that large-scale ocean models aiming to accurately predict ice melt rates will need to account for the effects of tides. The inclusion of tide-induced friction at the ice–ocean interface should be prioritized.
Ole Richter, David E. Gwyther, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, and Kaitlin A. Naughten
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 617–647, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-617-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-617-2022, 2022
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Here we present an improved model of the Antarctic continental shelf ocean and demonstrate that it is capable of reproducing present-day conditions. The improvements are fundamental and regard the inclusion of tides and ocean eddies. We conclude that the model is well suited to gain new insights into processes that are important for Antarctic ice sheet retreat and global ocean changes. Hence, the model will ultimately help to improve projections of sea level rise and climate change.
Matthew A. Chamberlain, Peter R. Oke, Russell A. S. Fiedler, Helen M. Beggs, Gary B. Brassington, and Prasanth Divakaran
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5663–5688, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5663-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5663-2021, 2021
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BRAN2020 is a dynamical reconstruction of the ocean, combining observations with a high-resolution global ocean model. BRAN2020 currently spans January 1993 to December 2019, assimilating in situ temperature and salinity, as well as satellite-based sea level and sea surface temperature. A new multiscale approach to data assimilation constrains the broad-scale ocean properties and turbulent mesoscale dynamics in two steps, showing closer agreement to observations than all previous versions.
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Short summary
Ocean forecasting relies on the combination of numerical models and ocean observations through data assimilation (DA). Here we assess the performance of two DA systems in a dynamic western boundary current, the East Australian Current, across a common modelling and observational framework. We show that the more advanced, time-dependent method outperforms the time-independent method for forecast horizons of 5 d. This advocates the use of advanced methods for highly variable oceanic regions.
Ocean forecasting relies on the combination of numerical models and ocean observations through...