Second-generation Straits of Florida nowcast/forecast system (SFNFS)

To conduct studies of physical transport processes (e.g., oil spill and fish egg and larval trajectories and dispersion in the Straits of Florida), the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) has been implemented with realistic bottom topography, density stratification, and a modest-resolution (5.6 km) grid. It is called SF-POM, and is driven by specified inflows (from the Gulf of Mexico and two Bahamian passages) and operationally forecast winds (from NCEP's Eta model). The winds are downloaded automatically from NCEP (by ftp over the Internet) to a workstation where the SF-POM is run, then graphical products (e.g., surface current maps) are generated and disseminated automatically. Upon demand, surface particle trajectories are calculated and plotted. The trajectories are determined by the SFNFS predicted surface currents, direct wind drift, and a random walk component designed to simulate subgrid scale turbulent dispersion. The various steps that have been taken to validate and verify SFNFS and calculated trajectories are described.