Coastal Ocean Modeling Testbed
To learn more about IOOS COMT visit: https://ioos.us/comt
Chesapeake Bay Oxygen Depletion
Changes in levels of dissolved oxygen have a significant effect on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Excessively low oxygen levels, creating dead zones within the bay, can stress or kill fish and other animals. COMT’s Chesapeake Bay project seeks to improve models of dissolved oxygen concentration in the estuary, taking into consideration a variety of contributing factors. The study provides a better understanding of the uncertainty inherent in predictions of properties such as salinity, temperature, chlorophyll content, and nutrient concentration; and how this uncertainty contributes to the predictability of dissolved oxygen levels.
Same-day and 3-day forecasts of Chesapeake Bay hypoxia can be accessed at COMT‑partner, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s, website:
http://www.vims.edu/research/topics/dead_zones/forecasts/cbay
http://oceansmap.maracoos.org/
Gulf of Mexico Oxygen Depletion
Dissolved oxygen depletion is also a significant problem in the Gulf of Mexico, where a large dead zone forms every summer over the Texas-Louisiana continental shelf in the northern part of the gulf. COMT’s Gulf of Mexico study is focusing on identifying factors that influence the prediction of dissolved oxygen concentration. Project researchers are conducting scenario-based simulations to assess the potential impacts of nutrient management decisions in the Mississippi River Basin and future climate conditions on hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Results are informing the interagency Hypoxia Task Force’s efforts to devise near-term and long‑term nutrient management strategies.
Caribbean Storm Surge and Wave Modeling
Intense storms bring high waves and surges that can inundate and incapacitate coastal areas of the Caribbean and other island communities. This was demonstrated when Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in 2017. COMT’s Caribbean project aims to extend effective forecasting of waves and storm surges from gently sloped areas, such as the northern Gulf of Mexico to steep-sloped areas fronted by steep shelves, like those surrounding Caribbean islands and the Hawaiian Islands. The modeling capabilities that were developed during the recent phase of COMT were utilized by the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS) to accurately forecast wave and storm surge heights.
To learn more visit COMT-partner, Caribbean Integrated Ocean Overserving System’s website: http://www.caricoos.org
West Coast Forecast System
COMT’s West Coast project is part of a larger NOAA effort to develop a new U.S. West Coast basin-wide operational forecast system (WCOFS). This component of COMT brings together researchers involved in coastal ocean modeling, data assimilation, and prediction with the goal to improve existing prediction systems and compare performance of different models and data assimilation approaches. Accurate forecasts of oceanic physical and biochemical variables along the US West Coast will provide information in support of safe navigation, environmental hazard response, search and rescue, fishery management, and public health.
To learn more visit: http://www.nanoos.org, http://www.cencoos.org, http://sccoos.org, https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/dev/wcofs/wcofs.html
Model Viewer
The COMT computer infrastructure project is focused on archiving data for evaluating models, providing tools to discover and access these data, and creating visualizations of model outputs. Although researchers often have in-house visualization and analysis tools tailored for use with their specific numerical models, our new model viewer allows the simultaneous visualization of results from different models. This facilitates model comparisons and helps extend the value of COMT results to future modeling research and development activities.
To learn more: https://oceansmap.com