ECCO llc90 Grid: Geometric Parameters for a 1-Degree Ocean Model, 1992-2017

ECCO Version 4 Release 4 provides geometric parameters for the lat-lon-cap 90 native model grid, including cell areas, coordinates, and masks. This state estimate is a dynamically consistent reconstruction of the global ocean, sea-ice, and surface atmosphere, fit to observations from satellites and in-situ programs. The dataset covers the period from 1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01.

Use Cases

• Configure ocean model simulations based on the provided llc90 grid cell areas and lengths.
• Analyze ocean dynamics using the three-dimensional, time-evolving state reconstruction mentioned in the description.
• Validate satellite-derived ocean data against the model's kinematically-consistent framework.
• Study sea ice concentration patterns using the model's integrated sea-ice state.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple observational constraints including satellite altimetry, radiometry, gravimetry, and in-situ sensor data.
• Covers a 26-year time range from 1992 to 2018, providing long-term climate context.
• Provides a globally consistent reconstruction of ocean, sea-ice, and atmospheric states.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Free-running solution of the MIT general circulation model (MITgcm) fit to observations in a least-squares sense.

Time Range

1992-01-01 to 2018-01-01

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:58:03.129258; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global