Validation of HYCOM Current Profiles Using MMS NTL Observations

摘要

The HYCOM (HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model) consortium, sponsored by the National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP), provides near real time global estimates of daily mean current data back to November 2003. In April 2005, the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) issued a Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) regarding the reporting of ocean current data in the deep water of Gulf of Mexico. An extensive body of NTL current data has since been collected by the offshore oil and gas industry and made available via the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) web site. This provides an extremely valuable source of observational data for current model validation at deepwater drilling locations in the Gulf of Mexico. Careful validation of the HYCOM model is required to ensure critical features of the current regime are adequately represented and to assess model skill. The paper describes the methodology and results of a HYCOM current model validation exercise using the MMS NTL observations in the Gulf of Mexico. The suitability of the model for the offshore industry in Gulf of Mexico is discussed.