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Over the last several years, we have developed a three-dimensional numerical oceanic model intended for simulating currents, ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, and sediment movement in various coastal regions.  It is called the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS), and it is closely related to the model developed at Rutgers University with the same name.






click on images for enlargement with caption

ROMS Functionality

ROMS Scientists

Selected References




ROMS Functionality
  • The model solves the hydrostatic Primitive Equations in vertical hybrid z-sigma and horizontal curvilinear coordinates with innovative algorithms for advection, mixing, pressure gradient, vertical-mode coupling, time stepping, and parallel efficiency (Shchepetkin and McWilliams, 1998, 2003, 2004).  ROMS contains representations for the the following additional elements:
  • Surface fluxes of momentum, heat, water, and materials with the atmosphere, including active coupling to an atmospheric model.
  • River inflows.
  • K-Profile Parameterization (Large, McWilliams, and Doney, 1994) for top and bottom boundary layers plus interior diapycnal mixing based on Richardson-number threshold.
  • Open-boundary conditions for radiation, large-scale circulation, and tides (Marchesiello, McWilliams, and Shchepetkin, 2001).
  • 1-way and 2-way coupled, sigma-level grid embedding for high-resolution subdomains (Penven et al., 2006).
  • Multi-decadal Pacific basin simulations at coarse and eddy-permitting resolutions --> boundary conditions for regional and local coastal domains.
  • A single-group plankton ecosystem (representing diatoms in an upwelling regime) plus OCMIP-style carbon and oxygen cycles (Gruber et al., 2006a,b,c), or alternatively, a recently implemented multi-group, multi-nutrient biogeochemical module (Moore et al., 2002).
  • Pollution dispersal and mixing (Oram et al., 2006a,b).
  • Lagrangian tracking, online and offline, including behavioral movement (Capet and McWilliams, 2006).
  • A data-assimilation and forecast system, plus an adjoint model (with JPL; Li et al., 2006a,b).
  • Particulate modeling: settling, coagulation, sediment deposition, resuspension, transport, bed structure, detrital remineralization (Blaas et al., 2006).
  • Surface wave effects on currents and tracers: combined wave-current bottom shear stress parameterization, including prediction of ripples and enhanced roughness related to waves and bed composition (Blaas et al., 2006) plus Stokes vortex force, Bernoulli head, sea-level set-up, and Stokes advection (McWilliams, Restrepo, and Lane, 2004) .

ROMS Scientists

A roster of scientists at UCLA currently working with ROMS is

Xavier Capet
Charles Dong
Hartmut Frenzel
Nicolas Gruber
Jim McWilliams
Alex Hall

In addition, there are active collaborations with scientists at JPL, Penven at IRD , Marchesiello at IRD, WHOI, Rutgers, MBARI, Nick Nezlin, and  DiLorenzo at Georgia Tech.


UCLA ROMS group photo in 2006. 
Front row: Yulia Kanarska, 
Takeyoshi Nagai, Yusuke Uchiyama, Eileen Deng, and Charles Dong.

Rear group (left to right): Nicolas Gruber, Francois Colas, Xavier Capet, Xiao Han, Alexander Shchepetkin
Keith Stolzenbach, Hartmut Frenzel, Jim McWilliams, Jin Xin
 
                                                                          
Selected References

Blaas, M., C. Dong, P. Marchesiello, J.C. McWilliams, and K.D. Stolzenbach, 2006: Sediment transport modeling on Southern Californian shelves: A ROMS case study.  Contin. Shelf Res., submitted.

Blanke, R., C. Roy, P. Penven, S. Speich, J.C. McWilliams, and G. Nelson, 2002: Linking wind and interannual upwelling variability in a regional model of the southern Benguela.  Geophys. Res. Lett. 29, 41(1)-41(4).

Caldeira, R.M.A., P. Marchesiello, N. Nezlin, P. DiGiacomo, and J.C. McWilliams, 2006: The warming of the California Current: Dynamics and ecosystem implications.  J. Phys. Ocean, in press.

Capet, X.J., P. Marchesiello, and J.C. McWilliams, 2004: Upwelling response to coastal wind profiles. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31 (13), L13311/1--L13311/4.

Capet, X., and J.C. McWilliams, 2006: Lagrangian diagnostics of the cross-shore exchanges off central California: A numerical approach using ROMS, in preparation.

Capet, X., P. Penven, P. Marchesiello, and J.C. McWilliams, 2006: Coastal upwelling sensitivity to atmospheric wind forcing along the U.S. Pacific Coast, in preparation.

Dong, C., and J.C. McWilliams, 2006: A numerical study of island wakes in the Southern California Bight.  Cont. Shelf Res., submitted.

Dong, C., A. Hall, M. Hughes, and J.C. McWilliams, 2006: Impact of wind resolution on simulations of a major coastal upwelling event. Geophys. Res. Lett., submitted.

Gruber, N., H. Frenzel, S. Doney,  J.C. McWilliams, G.K. Plattner, and K. Stolzenbach, 2006a:  Simulation of phystoplankton ecosystem dynamics and upper ocean biogeochemistry in the California Current System: Part II: Productivity and nutrient cycling.  Deep-Sea Res. II, in preparation.

Gruber, N., H. Frenzel, S.C. Doney, P. Marchesiello, J. C. McWilliams, J. R. Moisan, J. Oram, G.-K. Plattner, and K.D. Stolzenbach, 2006b: Simulation of phytoplankton ecosystem dynamics and upper ocean biogeochemistry in the California Current System: Part I: Model description, evaluation, and ecosystem structure. Deep-Sea Res. II, in press.

Gruber, N., H. Frenzel, W. Hamner, P. Marchesiello, J.C. McWilliams, N.  P. Nezlin, J. Oram, and K. Stolzenbach, 2006c: Biological-physical coupling during an upwelling event in Santa Monica Bay, CA, in preparation.

Large, W.G., J.C. McWilliams, and S.C. Doney, 1994: Oceanic vertical mixing: a review and a model with a non-local K-profile boundary layer parameterization. Rev. Geophys. 32, 363-403.

Li, Z., Y. Chao, J.C. McWilliams, and K. Ide, 2006: A three-dimensional variational data  assimilation scheme for the Regional Ocean Modeling System: I.  Formulation. Mon. Weather Rev., submitted.

Li, Z., Y. Chao, J. Choi, X. Capet, and J.C. McWilliams, 2006: A three-dimensional variational data assimilation system for the Regional Ocean Modeling System: II, Implementation and Experiments, in preparation.

Marchesiello, P., J.C. McWilliams, and A. Shchepetkin, 2001: Open boundary conditions for long-term integration of regional ocean models. Ocean Modelling 3, 1-20. 

Marchesiello, P., J.C. McWilliams, and A. Shchepetkin, 2003: Equilibrium structure and dynamics of the California Current System. J. Phys. Ocean. 33, 753-783.

McWilliams, J.C., J.M. Restrepo, and E.M. Lane, 2004: An asymptotic theory for the interaction of waves and currents in coastal waters. J. Fluid Mech. 511, 135-178.

Moore, J.K., S.C. Doney, J.A. Kleypas, D.M. Glover, I. Y. Fung, 2002: An intermediate complexity marine ecosystem model for the  global domain. Deep-Sea Res. II 49, 403-462.

Nezlin, N., and J.C. McWilliams, 2003: Satellite data empirical orthogonal functions statistics and the 19971998 El Nino off California.  Remote Sensing Envir. 84, 234-254.

Oram, J., K. Stolzenbach, K, X. Capet, P. Marchesiello, and J.C. McWiiliams, 2006a: Application of the Regional Ocean Modeling System to estimate the residence times of Santa Monica Bay, CA and their dependence on the larger scale circulation patterns of the Southern California Bight, in preparation.

Oram, J., J.C. McWilliams, and K.D. Stolzenbach, 2006b: Gradient-based edge detection and feature classification of sea-surface images on the Southern California Bight.  Cont. Shelf Res., submitted.

Penven P., L. Debreu, P. Marchesiello, and J.C. McWilliams, 2006: Application of the ROMS embedding procedure in the California Current Upwelling System.  Ocean Modelling, in press.

Plattner, G. K-., N. Gruber, H. Frenzel, and J.C. McWilliams, 2005: Decoupling marine export production from new production.  Geophys. Res. Lett. 32, L11612/1-4.

Shchepetkin, A., and J.C. McWilliams, 1998: Quasi-monotone advection schemes based on explicit locally adaptive dissipation.  Monthly Weather Rev. 126, 1541-1580.

Shchepetkin, A.F., and J.C. McWilliams, 2003: A method for computing horizontal pressure-gradient force in an ocean model with a non-aligned vertical coordinate.  J. Geophys. Res. 108, 35.1-35.34.

Shchepetkin, A.F., and J.C. McWilliams, 2004: The Regional Oceanic Modeling System: A split-explicit, free-surface, topography-following-coordinate ocean model. Ocean Modelling 9, 347-404.