Is Computational Oceanography Coming of Age?
- Thomas Haine,
- Renske Gelderloos,
- Miguel Jimenez-Urias,
- Ali Siddiqui,
- Gerard Lemson,
- Dmitry Medvedev,
- Alex Szalay,
- Ryan Abernathey,
- Mattia Almansi,
- Christopher Hill
Renske Gelderloos
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
Author ProfileMiguel Jimenez-Urias
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
Author ProfileAli Siddiqui
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
Author ProfileGerard Lemson
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
Author ProfileDmitry Medvedev
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
Author ProfileAlex Szalay
Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University
Author ProfileMattia Almansi
National Oceanography Centre, National Oceanography Centre
Author ProfileAbstract
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