The Mediterranean ocean Forecasting System

Abstract

The Mediterranean Forecasting System (MFS) is operationally working since year 2000 and it is continuously improved in the frame of international projects. The system is part of the Mediterranean Operational Oceanography Network-MOON and MFS is coordinated and operated by the Italian Group of Operational Oceanography (GNOO). The latest upgrades and integration to MFS has been undertaken in the EU-MERSEA and BOSS4GMES Projects. Since October 2005 ten days forecasts are produced daily as well as 15 days of analyses once a week. The daily forecast and weekly analysis data are available in real time to the users through a dedicated ftp service and every day a web bulletin is published on the web site (http://gnoo.bo.ingv.it/mfs). A continuous evaluation in near real time of the forecasts and analyses produced by MFS has been developed in order to continuously verify the system and to provide useful information to the users. The R&D is focused on different aspects of the system. A new basin scale ocean model nested with operational MERCATOR global model has been developed and run in real time operationally for a test period together with a new assimilation scheme based on the 3DVAR. This system is now under evaluation. Important activities have been carried out to: implement and test a Bayesian methodologies of Ensemble and Super-Ensemble for the Mediterranean sea; produce 20 years of re-analysis; re-formulate the air-sea fluxes bulk formulae; develop dedicated products to support particular request of end users such as: indicators, real time oil spill forecasting, search & rescue.