The U.S. Navy Operational Global Ocean Model (NCOM), was developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (Barron et al, 1&2) and is maintained by the Naval Oceanographic Office. The Regional NCOM files have a resolution of 1/36 degrees (3 km) and are supplied boundary conditions from the 1/8 degree mid-latitude resolution model that serves as the Navy's operational global Nowcast/Forecast system GOFS 2.6. NCOM is based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and Sigma-Z Model (SZM) with time invariant hybrid vertical coordinates. The surface boundary conditions for the NCOM model, including wind stress, heat flux, and salt flux are provided by the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS). The Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation System (NCODA) provides the data assimilation for NCOM including SSH, SST, and in situ observations.

The Regional NCOM files can also be accessed from the Ocean Prediction Center’s web page via ftp: ftp://ftp.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/grids/operational/NCOM/regional/

References

Barron, C.N., A.B. Kara, H.E. Hurlburt, C. Rowley, and L.F. Smedstad, 2004: Sea surface height predictions from the Global Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) during 1998-2001. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 21(12), 1876-1894.

Barron, C.N., A.B. Kara, P.J. Martin, R.C. Rhodes, and L.F. Smedstad, 2006: Formulation, implementation and examination of vertical coordinate choices in the global Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM). Ocean Modeling, 11, 347-375, doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2005.01.004.