Chesapeake 3D Physical Oceanographic Model (C3PO)
- http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/csdl/op/c3po.html
- Tom Gross, NOAA/NOS/CSDL/MMAP
Description
This hydrodynamic model of the Chesapeake Bay was designed for use by the NOAA Coast Survey Development Laboratory, CSDL, as the next generation water level and tide forecasting tool to replace Chesapeake Bay Operational Forecast System (CBOFS. The CSDL models are primarily designed for operational implementation by NOAA/CO-OPS as aids to navigation. Presently the model is under evaluation by being run twice a day in "semi-operational" mode with velocity fields on display through the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. http://coastalpredictioncenter.chesapeakebay.net/currents/currents.htm
C3PO is an implementation of Quoddy(http://www-nml.dartmouth.edu/circmods/gom.html, Models and Modelers of New England) a finite element model. It is fully 3D, using an unstructured triangular horizontal grid and sigma vertical coordinate system (9700 nodes, 17925 elements, 15 layers). Baroclinic circulation is modeled with full salinity and temperature fields. The operational model uses real time data for surface wind forcing and to prescribe the non-tidal water level height at the mouth of the bay, similar to the old CBOFS. River inputs from the USGS gauges control the estuarine circulation. Oceanic boundary conditions for salinity and temperature are monthly climatology. A Mellor Yamada 2.5 turbulence closure scheme is used, but will be replaced by a k-omega or k-epsilon closure in the near future.
As part of the CSDL generalized forecast system, the output files for C3PO have been changed from Quoddy's standards to the NetCDF format. These files are being sent to the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office and to the NOAA HAZMAT group for evaluation. CSDL plans to distribute all it's model output as NetCDF files via an OPeNDAP server.
Presently the model is structured to run in the operational environment of CSDL using data feeds unique to CSDL. Work will be required to reconfigure it for external use, but the daily output fields can be available very soon.
Animations:
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C3PO Downloadable Model Implementation for Chesapeake Bay
A set of tar files are now available which will build a working version of Quoddy which simulates the Chesapeake Bay. This first download does a 30 day spinup with data files from the end of December 2003. More information is here: