About the Model
The Intra-Americas Sea is currently modeled using
ROMS configured
with a 40km and 20km horizontal resolution grid and 30 vertical-levels. As
shown in the figure, the model domain is rotated such that the western
and northern boundaries are closed. The eastern and southern
boundaries are open boundaries with data provided by the North
Atlantic simulation run at Rutgers University. The model is wind-
forced with atmospheric data from
NCEP
reanalyses and operational forecast products.
The IAS model utilizes the internal bulk fluxes
formulation in
ROMS
so the atmospheric data provided includes: wind
vectors, rain fall rate, air temperature, air pressure, relative
humidity, and long/short-wave radiation fluxes at the ocean/
atmosphere boundary. All forcing information is provided every 6
hours. From 1999 onwards, we utilize the Colorado Research Associates
(
CoRA) QuickSCAT blended winds for the model's wind forcing. This
blended product is
created using observed winds from the microwave SeaWinds instrument
aboard the QuickSCAT scientific satellite blended with the
NCEP winds
described above. Finally, because the precipitation rate of the
NCEP
product does not properly account for rivers and other fresh water
influx to the IAS region, the IAS model is "relaxed" towards the
Levitus salinity climatology.