An introduction to operational chains in ocean forecasting

Wan, Liying; Sotillo, Marcos Garcia; Bell, Mike; Drillet, Yann; Aznar, Roland; Ciliberti, Stefania

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-5-opsr-15-2025

Articles | Volume 5-opsr

https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-5-opsr-15-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Report:

Ocean prediction: present status and state of the art (OPSR)

https://doi.org/10.5194/sp-5-opsr-15-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 5-opsr

02 Jun 2025

| OPSR | Chapter 6.1

| 02 Jun 2025 | OPSR | Chapter 6.1

An introduction to operational chains in ocean forecasting

Liying Wan, Marcos Garcia Sotillo, Mike Bell, Yann Drillet, Roland Aznar, and Stefania Ciliberti

Data sets

Global Ocean Gridded L 4 Sea Surface Heights And Derived Variables Nrt E.U Copernicus Marine Service Information (CMEMS) https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00149

Global Ocean OSTIA Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis E.U Copernicus Marine Service Information (CMEMS) https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00165

Global Ocean Physics Reanalysis E.U Copernicus Marine Service Information (CMEMS) https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00021

Short summary

Operating the ocean value chain requires the implementation of steps that must work systematically and automatically to generate ocean predictions and deliver this information. The paper illustrates the main challenges foreseen by operational chains in integrating complex numerical frameworks from the global to coastal scale and discusses existing tools that facilitate orchestration, including examples of existing systems and their capacity to provide high-quality and timely ocean forecasts.