HF Radar and ocean modelling seminar

Julian Marmain, from the Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie (MIO), Toulon University, imparted a seminar entitled “Coastal circulation in the North-Western Mediterranean : current measurements by HF radar and coupling with a numerical model”, held at IMEDEA on the 16th of February 2015, as part of the research seminars co-organized by TMOOS-IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) and SOCIB.
 

photo: N. Martín, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB)


In this seminar, a complex problem of regional physical oceanography was tackled, namely the study of the Mediterranean North Current (NC) which drives the circulation in the North-Western Mediterranean sea. This study is based on:

  • an original use of surface currents monitered by an HF radar system off Toulon (South of France),
  • high resolution (~1.5km) regional numerical simulations and,
  • for the first time, the assimilation of HF radar surface currents, based on an ensemble Kalman smoother, to control the open ocean boundary conditions or the surface wind forcing of a regional circulation model. 

Work in progress concerning numerical studies of deep convection in the Gulf of Lion was also presented.