The Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group Established in

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: • New York / New Jersey continental shelves and estuaries • The California Current System • Leeuwin and East Australian Currents • The Coastal Gulf of Alaska • The Sea of Japan • The Adriatic Sea • Crater Lake

meters Ocean models predicted currents and temperatures to direct ship and aircraft observations during LEO field program (Rutgers-LEO) LEO

Surface temperature in o. C (colors) and winds(arrows) Tuckerton, NJ Models predict cold water upwelling during southwest winds Warm water moves onshore during downwelling (Rutgers-LEO)

Cross section of upwelling event (Temperature in o. C) Models predict cold water upwelling during southwest winds Warm water moves onshore during downwelling (Rutgers-LEO)

Surface and sub-surface drifters White: Surface Blue: Sub-Surface Models predict particles in water travel north during upwelling events and south during downwelling events (Rutgers-LEO)

Ocean temperatures and currents fluctuate on the New Jersey Coast in response to changing winds Green arrows are wind Red surface is 18 o. C (65 o. F) Blue surface is 13 o. C (54 o. F) (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

Hudson River Estuary 30 -5 -10 20 -15 15 -20 Salinity (PSS) Depth (m) 25 10 -25 5 5 10 15 20 25 Distance (km) (USGS and WHOI)

Gulf of Maine Tides (Colors are Sea Level Height) Surface Elevation (m) & Currents (USGS)

Tidal currents around Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Temperature (color) and currents (arrows) (Rutgers)

Temperature (color) and currents (arrows) New Jersey coast and Mid. Atlantic Bight waters are influenced by the Gulf Stream and southward cold water currents from Canada (Rutgers)

(Colors show sea temperatures o. C at 100 m below the surface) Currents along the east coast of North America are also affected by the entire Atlantic Ocean (Rutgers)

(Colors Show Sea Temperatures o. C at 100 m below the Surface) Currents along the east coast of North America are also affected by the entire Atlantic Ocean (Rutgers)

Our models are used in oceanographic studies in over 30 countries by: • Universities • Government Agencies • Companies Totaling 280 registered users on six continents (Relief Image from NOAA Animation by Rutgers)

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

Rotating tank at Coriolis Laboratory Grenoble, France Simulation of coastal upwelling and downwelling at subsurface canyon Tank is 13 m (43 ft) in diameter Lab tank experiments simulate coastal processes Colors show the density of water just above the continental shelf break (Grey is the Base Density)

Ocean currents transport fish larvae along the continental shelf in the Gulf of Alaska (PMEL/NOAA)

Modeling the California Current System Modeled surface temperature Temperature observed from satellite 100 km Very energetic “mesoscale eddies” (UCLA)

Adriatic Seasonal Circulation Variability (Surface Elevation in m (Colors) and Currents (Vectors) Seasonal Variability is Influenced by Atmospheric Forcing, River Runoff and Exchanges with the East Mediterranean Thermohaline Circulation. (Rutgers)

The simulations shown here were conducted on high performance computers at IMCS, and at supercomputer centers around the world. Rutgers IMCS Ocean Modeling Group uses super-computer facilities at: • 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 The model of the North Atlantic Ocean, for example, has 250, 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.

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)