The HYCOM (HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model) data assimilative system

This article provides an overview of the effort centered on the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) to develop an eddy-resolving, real-time global and basin-scale ocean hindcast, nowcast, and prediction system in the context of the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE). The main characteristics of HYCOM are first presented, followed by a description and assessment of the present near real-time Atlantic forecasting system. Regional/coastal applications are also discussed since an important attribute of the data assimilative HYCOM simulations is the capability to provide boundary conditions to regional and coastal models. The final section describes the steps taken toward the establishment of the fully global eddy-resolving HYCOM data assimilative system and discusses some of the difficulties associated with advanced data assimilation given the size of the problem.