A simple method for computing velocities from tracer observations and a model output

A method is suggested for estimating velocities by combining observations of a continuously distributed tracer and a circulation model output (background velocity field). A theoretical error analysis is provided and checked by simulations. The estimate reduces the model error by about 12–32% and the estimation procedure turns out to be of high computational efficiency. In addition, a compatibility measure between data and model is introduced which is also tested by simulations.