Indian Ocean Wind-Driven Circulation Hindcast Model Outputs

A 20-year model spin-up using climatological winds precedes a near-real-time hindcast from January 1977 onward. Monthly mean wind stress fields derived from volunteer ship reports drive this four-layer, reduced-gravity ocean model. The University of South Florida produced this data with support from the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal patterns of layer depth (0-200m, 200-450m, 450-850m) in response to monthly wind stress forcing.
• Validating other ocean models against this hindcast's spatial domain covering 30°S to 26°N and 35°E to 120°E.
• Studying the impact of FSU 'quick-look' versus 'research-grade' wind analyses on simulated circulation patterns.
• Investigating basin-wide responses to wind pseudostress components on a 1-degree grid over a 15+ year period.

Strengths

• Model domain has a fine spatial resolution of 1/12 degree in latitude and longitude.
• Integration covers a multi-decade period from at least January 1977 through December 1991, updated monthly.
• Wind forcing data is derived from a substantial source: all volunteer observing fleet ship reports received via GTS.

Limitations

• Model uses a simplified four-layer structure with the reduced gravity approximation, limiting vertical resolution.
• Wind data products have a latency period, with 'research-grade' fields available only about 6 months after year-end.
• The dataset's exact row count, file formats, and current update status are unspecified.

Provenance

Source

University of South Florida Indian Ocean Wind-Driven Circulation Model, supported by ONR and NSF.

Collection Method

Numerical ocean model hindcast driven by monthly mean wind stress fields objectively analyzed from ship reports.

Time Range

Primary integration from January 1977 through December 1991, with ongoing monthly updates.

Freshness

Updated through the 16th of the most recently ended month using near-real-time 'quick-look' winds.

Geography

Indian Ocean basin from 30°S to 26°N and 35°E to我们发现120°E.