This ocean model is operated at 4km resolution covering the Nordic Seas.

This specific dataset provides daily mean information at several levels

in the ocean. This is the first setup of Nordic4km and it is no longer

operational. It has been superseeded.

A numerical model is applied to describe the dynamics of the oceans,

such as sea level variations (tides and storm surge), movements in the

water column (currents) and the salinity and temperature. To simulate

the ocean, a 3-D grid is applied with different sizes, i.e., small grids

for fine scale or detailed calculations, and larger or coarser grids to

cover larger areas (and depth). The model runs on a supercomputer, and

provides forecasts of sea level, currents, salinity and temperature for

a time-range between 66 (2.75 days) and 240 hours (10 days). The model

is run operationally, i.e, in a "24/7/365" environment to provide a

99.5% stability on a yearly basis. Currents from the model is further

applied in emergency-models that simulates pathways of oil slicks and

drifting objects (Search And Rescue).

The ocean model used is the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). This

is a three-dimensional, free-surface, terrain-following numerical model

that solve the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations using the

hydrostatic and Boussinesq assumptions (Haidvogel et al., 2008).

Haidvogel, D. B., H. Arango, W. P. Budgell, B. D. Cornuelle, E.

Curchitser, E. Di Lorenzo, K. Fennel, W. R. Geyer, A. J. Hermann, L.

Lanerolle, J. Levin, J. C. McWilliams, A. J. Miller, A. M. Moore, T. M.

Powell, A. F. Shchepetkin, C. R. Sherwood, R. P. Signell, J. C. Warner,

and J. Wilkin, Ocean forecasting in terrain-following coordinates:

Formulation and skill assessment of the Regional Ocean Modeling System,

JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS, 227, 3595–3624, 2008.