Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS)



The Marine Meteorology Division of the Naval Research Laboratory has developed the Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS). COAMPS contains a complete three-dimensional atmospheric data assimilation system comprised of data quality control, analysis, initialization, and forecast model components; an option for one of two ocean models; and a wave model. Features of COAMPS include a globally relocatable grid, user-defined grid resolutions and dimensions, nested grids, an option for idealized or real-time simulations, and code which allows for portability between mainframes and workstations.

 The nonhydrostatic atmospheric model includes predictive equations for the momentum, the nondimensional pressure perturbation, the potential temperature, the turbulent kinetic energy, and the mixing ratios of water vapor, clouds, rain, ice and snow. Either of two ocean models can be used with COAMPS. These are the Modular Ocean Model (MOM) and the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). The atmospheric and ocean models can be integrated simultaneously so that the precipitation and the surface fluxes of heat, moisture, and momentum are exchanged across the air-ocean interface every time step. In those cases in which only the atmospheric model is used, the surface flux computations are based on a static sea surface temperature analysis. The Wave Model (WAM) can also be coupled to the COAMPS atmospheric model. Optionally, any of the models in COAMPS can be used a stand-alone system.

Concept Mapping Toolkit
Insitute for Human and Machine Cognition
The University of West Florida