Better informed marine operations and management: multidisciplinary efforts in ocean forecasting research for socioeconomic benefit

In Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), forecast systems are used to transform meteorological observations into forecasts that provide the basis for information services to the general public and many other users. In oceanography, in order to best exploit the observations, it is similarly necessary to transform them into coherent analyses and predictions that can be the basis for information services about the marine environment, its ecosystem, and the cryosphere that can be used in many applications and that can provide boundary data for weather predictions. Marine industries (e.g., commercial fishing, aquaculture, shipping, oil and gas, renewable energy, tourism), government agencies (e.g., those responsible for search and rescue, defense, coastal management, environmental protection), and other stakeholders (e.g., recreation, water sports, artisanal and sport fishing) depend on timely and accurate information about the marine environment. This includes ocean physical and biological states, the weather, and for some areas, ice cover from hours to weeks in advance as well as in the past. Supported by progress in numerical ocean modeling and data assimilation methods; increased supercomputing capacity; and most importantly, enhanced, routine, and sustained in situ and remotely sensed ocean observations, the last decade saw the development and operational implementation of mesoscale (eddy-resolving) short- and medium-range (days to weeks) ocean forecasting and reanalysis capabilities at many operational weather and ocean forecasting centers. The building and maintaining of operational ocean forecasting systems require a wide range of expertise. Most global ocean forecasting systems transition from research and demonstration modes to sustained, permanent operational capabilities with attendant infrastructure (European Commission 2015). Beyond the traditional short-term forecasting of physical ocean properties (temperature, salinity, surface height, currents, waves), marine activities such as water quality and habitat management as well as climate research increasingly rely on operational oceanographic data and products. To satisfy existing and new requirements for end-use applications, such as coastal protection, ecosystem monitoring and forecasting, and climate monitoring, these operational ocean forecasting systems must be sustained, as well as evolve and improve, to remain relevant with broad utility.