Development of a next-generation general ocean circulation model for the Great Lakes

Raju, Meena; Cannon, David J.; Alsip, Peter; Wang, He; Wang, Jia; Cordero, Theresa; Hallberg, Robert W.; Stock, Charles A.; Langan, Joseph A.

doi:10.5194/gmd-19-4331-2026

Articles | Volume 19, issue 10

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-4331-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Development and deployment of regional ocean configurations...

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-4331-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 10

Development and technical paper

|

21 May 2026

Development and technical paper |

| 21 May 2026

Development of a next-generation general ocean circulation model for the Great Lakes

Meena Raju, David J. Cannon, Peter Alsip, He Wang, Jia Wang, Theresa Cordero, Robert W. Hallberg, Charles A. Stock, and Joseph A. Langan

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-4331-2026-supplement

Data sets

Model input for initial submission of "Development of a next-generation general ocean circulation model for the Great Lakes" to Geoscientific Model Development. Meena Raju et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18291944

Model output and analysis codes for "Development of a next-generation general ocean circulation model for the Great Lakes" Meena Raju et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18091176

Model code and software

Model source code for "Development of a next-generation general ocean circulation model for the Great Lakes" Meena Raju et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18291850

MOM6 Modular Ocean Model https://github.com/mom-ocean/MOM6

MOM6 NOAA-GFDL https://github.com/NOAA-GFDL/MOM6

User guide on installation, setup of Modular Ocean Model version 6.0 – Sea Ice Simulator version 2.0, MOM6-SIS2 used in "Development of a next-generation general ocean circulation model for the Great Lakes" Meena Raju et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18275689

Short summary

This study developed the Modular Ocean Model version 6.0 coupled with Sea Ice Simulator version 2.0 for the Great Lakes, validated against observations and an operational model. This study also tested two vertical coordinate systems, z* and hybrid. The model reproduced lake physics with good skill. The hybrid vertical coordinate improved thermocline representation and preserved deep cold-water during stratification, demonstrating the model’s suitability for large freshwater systems.