Ocean Models

Ocean models are numerical models with a focus on the properties of oceans and their circulation. Ocean models play a large role in aiding our understanding of the ocean's influence on weather and climate.

The following ocean model datasets are available through NOAA's Ocean National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS).

• Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), Global
  The Navy implementation of the HYCOM is the successor to Global ​Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM). This site hosts regions covering U.S. coastal waters as well as a global surface model.
• NCOM, Global
  The Global NCOM was run by the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) as the Navy’s operational global ocean-prediction system prior to its replacement by the Global HYCOM system in 2013. This site hosts regions covering U.S., European, West Pacific, and Australian coastal waters as well as a global surface model.
• NCOM, Regional
  The Regional NCOM is a high-resolution version of NCOM for specific areas. NCEI serves the Americas Seas, U.S. East, and Alaska regions of NCOM.
• Adaptive Ecosystem Climatology (AEC)
  The Naval Research Laboratory AEC combines an ocean model with Earth observations to provide a synoptic view of the typical (climatic) state of the ocean for every day of the year. This dataset covers the Gulf of Mexico and nearby areas.
• NCEP ​Real Time Ocean Forecast System (RTOFS)
  NOAA's RTOFS–Atlantic is a data-assimilating nowcast-forecast system operated by NCEP. This dataset covers the Gulf of Mexico and most of the northern and central Atlantic.
• Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services Operational Forecast System (CO-OPS OFS)
  This Operational Forecast System models hydrodynamic data for selected estuaries, lakes, and rivers in the United States to support navigation and coastal needs. It is produced by CO-OPS, which is part of the National Ocean Service (NOS).