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Is Computational Oceanography Coming of Age?
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  • Thomas Haine,
  • Renske Gelderloos,
  • Miguel Jimenez-Urias,
  • Ali Siddiqui,
  • Gerard Lemson,
  • Dmitry Medvedev,
  • Alex Szalay,
  • Ryan Abernathey,
  • Mattia Almansi,
  • Christopher Hill
Thomas Haine
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Renske Gelderloos
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
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Miguel Jimenez-Urias
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
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Ali Siddiqui
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
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Gerard Lemson
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
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Dmitry Medvedev
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
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Alex Szalay
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
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Ryan Abernathey
Columbia University, Columbia University
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Mattia Almansi
National Oceanography Centre, National Oceanography Centre
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Christopher Hill
MIT, MIT
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Abstract

Computational Oceanography is the study of ocean phenomena by numerical simulation, especially dynamical and physical phenomena. Progress in information technology has driven exponential growth in the number of global ocean observations and the fidelity of numerical simulations of the ocean in the past few decades. The growth has been exponentially faster for ocean simulations, however. We argue that this faster growth is shifting the importance of field measurements and numerical simulations for oceanographic research. It is leading to the maturation of Computational Oceanography as a branch of marine science on par with observational oceanography. One implication is that ultra-resolved ocean simulations are only loosely constrained by observations. Another implication is that barriers to analyzing the output of such simulations should be removed. Although some specific limits and challenges exist, many opportunities are identified for the future of Computational Oceanography. Most important is the prospect of hybrid computational and observational approaches to advance understanding of the ocean.
Aug 2021Published in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society volume 102 issue 8 on pages E1481-E1493. 10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0258.1