The Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group Established in 1990, the Ocean Modeling Group at Rutgers has as one of it foremost goals the development and interdisciplinary.

The Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group

Established in 1990, the Ocean Modeling Group at Rutgers has as one of it foremost goals

the development and interdisciplinary application of new regional and basin-scale ocean modeling systems, including coupled

models for atmosphere/ocean, biogeochemical and ecosystem response. Modeling software developed by the Ocean Modeling Group and

its colleagues has been distributed worldwide to approximately 300 scientists.

The Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group conducts innovative research and development in:

• Ocean observing systems and data assimilation

• Advanced algorithms for geophysical modeling

• Implementation and distribution of ocean models

• Quantitative metrics for ocean model performance

• Numerical and laboratory studies of fundamental processes

• Coupled modeling of regional climate impacts

The Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group is engaged in interdisciplinary studies worldwide:

• Crater Lake

• The Adriatic Sea

• The Sea of Japan

• The Coastal Gulf of Alaska

• Leeuwin and East Australian Currents

• The California Current System

• New York / New Jersey continental shelves and estuaries

LEO

meters

Ocean models predicted currents and temperatures to direct ship and aircraft observations during LEO field program

(Rutgers-LEO)

Models predict cold water upwelling during southwest winds

Warm water moves onshore during downwelling

Surface temperature in oC (colors)and winds(arrows)

(Rutgers-LEO)

Tuckerton, NJ

Cross section of upwelling event

(Rutgers-LEO)

(Temperature in oC)

Models predict cold water upwelling during southwest winds

Warm water moves onshore during downwelling

Models predict particles in water travel north during upwelling events and south during downwelling events

Surface and sub-surface drifters

(Rutgers-LEO)

White: SurfaceBlue: Sub-Surface

Ocean temperatures and currents fluctuate on the New Jersey Coast in response

to changing winds

Green arrows are wind

Red surface is 18oC (65oF)Blue surface is 13oC (54oF)

(Rutgers-LEO)

These models are also being used to predict currents, temperature and salinity in:

• The Hudson River

• The Gulf of Maine

• Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket

5 10 15 20 25

Distance (km)

-10

-15

-25

-20

-5

Dep

th (

m)

30

25

20

15

10

5

Sal

init

y (P

SS

)

Hudson River Estuary

(USGS and WHOI)

Gulf of Maine Tides

Surface Elevation

(m)&

Currents

(USGS)

(Colors are Sea Level Height)

Tidal currents around Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket

(Rutgers)

Temperature (color)

andcurrents(arrows)

(Rutgers)

New Jersey coast and Mid-Atlantic Bight waters are influenced by the Gulf Stream and southward cold water currents from Canada

Temperature (color) and currents (arrows)

(Rutgers)

Currents along the east coast of North America are also affected by the entire Atlantic Ocean

(Colors show sea temperatures oC at 100m below the surface)

(Colors Show Sea Temperatures oC at 100m below the Surface)

Currents along the east coast of North America are also affected by the entire Atlantic Ocean

(Rutgers)

(Relief Image from NOAA Animation by Rutgers)

Our models are used in oceanographic studies in over 30 countries by:

• Universities

• Government Agencies

• Companies

Totaling 280 registered users on six continents

• The Laboratory

• To Rivers

• To Harbors and Bays

• To Continental Shelves

• To the Global Ocean

Our models are used to predict ocean processes and variability on scales from:

• The Laboratory

• To Rivers

• To Harbors and Bays

• To Continental Shelves

• To the Global Ocean

Our models are used to predict ocean processes and variability on scales from:

Rotating tank at Coriolis LaboratoryGrenoble, France

Tank is 13m (43 ft) in diameter

Lab tank experiments simulate coastal processes

Simulation of coastal upwelling and downwelling at subsurface canyon

Colors show the density of water just above the continental shelf break

(Grey is the Base Density)

(PMEL/NOAA)

Ocean currents transport fish larvae along the continental shelf in the Gulf of Alaska

Modeled surface temperature

Very energetic “mesoscale eddies”

100 km

Modeling the California Current System

Temperature observedfrom satellite

(UCLA)

(Rutgers)

Seasonal Variability is Influenced by Atmospheric Forcing, River Runoff and Exchanges with the East Mediterranean Thermohaline Circulation.

Adriatic Sea Seasonal Circulation Variability

(Surface Elevation in m (Colors) and Currents (Vectors)

The simulations shown here were conducted on high performance computers at IMCS, and at super-computer centers around the world.

Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group uses super-computer facilities at:

The model of the North Atlantic Ocean, for example, has 250,000,000 unknown variables and takes 153 days to compute on 32 processors of an SGI Origin 3000 super-computer to obtain 7 years of simulation.

• The US Naval Research Lab, Washington DC

• NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi

• NASA Ames Research Center, California

• Arctic Region Supercomputing Center, Alaska

• National Center for Atmospheric Research, Colorado

Research conducted by the Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group is funded by:

• The National Science Foundation (NSF)

• The Office of Naval Research (ONR)

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

• The National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP)

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

• The US Geological Survey (USGS)