Services ESEOO Forecast ESEOMED Zone

 

Validation of the ESEOMED application

Model validation is esential to evaluate the reliability of simulated outputs and to get some knowledge that allows to improve the model set-up and its performance over different areas.

In order to configure the most accurate model set-up, and to validate the resulting ESEOMED application, a preliminary set of 1-year hindcast reanalyses were carried out. The year 2005 was the one selected to be hindcasted, going the hindcast run from January 2005 to December 2005. The outputs from this hindcast run were validated by means of comparisons with different satellite and in-situ observations, providing us a measure of the skill shown by the model to simulate reliable 3-D ocean properties (e.g. currents, temperature, sea-level, etc.)

Validation of the ESEOMED: simulated Sea Surface Temperature

Both satellite and in-situ measurements were used to validate the ESEOMED sea surface temperature. A comparison of SST monthly means, obtained from the ESEOMED application, and the ones derived from satellite measurements was performed. Comparisons between observed and simulated fields were carried out for the whole 12 months covered by the ESEOMED hindcast run. Figure 1 show the observed and the ESEOMED simulated field, as well as the differences between them for July 2005.

Figure 1. SST Monthly means corresponding to July 2005 derived from satellite observations (a) and from ESEOMED simulated outputs (b). (c) Differences between the above monthly mean fields (ESEOMED observation).

Once verified the reliability of the ESEOMED simulated spatial patterns, it was locally verified the ESEOMED performance. To this aim, observed SST time series, measured at buoys from the Puertos del Estado deep-water Buoy Network, were compared to the SST timeseries simulated with the ESEOMED application at the closest gridpoint of each of the 6 moore location. Figure 2 shows the time evolution of hourly modeled and observed SST along the period between January-2005 and December-2005 at the Tarragona and Valencia buoys.

Figure 2. Time series of dayly SST obtained from in-situ observations (blue line) and from the ESEOMED application (red line). Left Panel illustrates SST evolution at the Puertos del Estado Tarragona Buoy (40º44.7'N,1º27.4'E). The right panel shows the results corresponding to the buoy located at Valencia (39º27.7'N, 0º15.7'W). In both cases, data is dayly sampled and the time period shown goes along 12 months from January to December 2005.

Validation of the ESEOMED: simulated surface currents

Validation of the simulated surface currents was carried out by means of comparing the ESEOMED simulated ones with current-meter observations obtained from the Puertos del Estado Deep-water Buoy Network. Figura 3 shows two examples of this local comparison exercise.

Figure 3. Figure 3. Time Series of surface current speed (in cm/s), obtained from in-situ observations (blue line) and from the ESEOMED run (red line). Left panel illustrates time evolution of surface currents at the Puertos del Estado buoy of Tarragona and the right panel shows the results at the Valencia Buoy. In both cases data is dayly sampled and the time period shown is of one year (2005).