Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5766335 | Ocean Modelling | 2017 | 22 Pages |
â¢A 3D unstructured-grid model is developed for cross-scale processes around Taiwan.â¢Model resolves many islands and requires no bathymetry smoothing.â¢Short-term hindcasts are used to validate model.â¢Model has good skill in both eddying and non-eddying regimes.â¢Multi-scale model is easily extendable to target regions of interest.
We validate a 3D unstructured-grid (UG) model for simulating multi-scale processes as occurred in Northwestern Pacific around Taiwan using recently developed new techniques (Zhang et al., Ocean Modeling, 102, 64-81, 2016) that require no bathymetry smoothing even for this region with prevalent steep bottom slopes and many islands. The focus is on short-term forecast for several months instead of long-term variability. Compared with satellite products, the errors for the simulated Sea-surface Height (SSH) and Sea-surface Temperature (SST) are similar to a reference data-assimilated global model. In the nearshore region, comparison with 34 tide gauges located around Taiwan indicates an average RMSE of 13â¯cm for the tidal elevation. The average RMSE for SST at 6 coastal buoys is 1.2 °C. The mean transport and eddy kinetic energy compare reasonably with previously published values and the reference model used to provide boundary and initial conditions. The model suggests â¼2-day interruption of Kuroshio east of Taiwan during a typhoon period. The effect of tidal mixing is shown to be significant nearshore. The multi-scale model is easily extendable to target regions of interest due to its UG framework and a flexible vertical gridding system, which is shown to be superior to terrain-following coordinates.