Re-analyses in the global ocean at CMCC-INGV: examples and applications

Abstract

Global ocean modelling activities at Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC) include the development and implementation of data assimilation techniques applied to a global ocean general circulation model to investigate the role of the ocean on climate variability and predictability. The main objective is the production of global ocean re-analyses over multidecadal periods to reconstruct the state of the ocean and the large scale circulation over the recent past for climate applications and for the assessment of the benefits of assimilating ocean observations on seasonal and longer climate predictability.

Here we present the main characteristics of the assimilation system and a set of global ocean re-analyses produced with this system. Applications of these data assimilation products to the study of climate variability and to the assessment of subsurface ocean initialization contribution to seasonal climate predictability will also be reported.