Surface CUrrents from Diagnostic model
The goal of the project is to diagnose near-surface currents consistent with trajectories of
Lagrangian drifters using satellite observations.
Overview:
Ocean currents are one of the variables that are most difficult for
observations, both in situ and remote. Only satellites can provide
global coverage continuous in time. Satellite-derived sea
level topography and surface winds are utilized to optimize coefficients
of the SCUD diagnostic model. The coefficients are tuned
to best reproduce current velocities observed by standard
drifters drogued at 15 meters depth. The dataset aims the tasks of
diagnosing trajectories of a tracer floating at or near the sea surface,
such as marine debris, oil spills, etc.
The SCUD surface ocean currents are disseminated through APDRC servers:
LAS
LAS8
OPeNDAP
DChart
More detailed information about the data and the model can be found in
the SCUD
manual (
IPRC Tech. Note 5).
To be informed about
future data upgrades and model developments you can subscribe to the
SCUD mailing list
here.