Assessment of MITgcm tidal currents in the context of the ODYSEA mission
Abstract
The accurate representation of tidal currents is essential for understanding coastal circulation and interpreting satellite observations of ocean surface currents. In preparation for the upcoming ODYSEA (Ocean Dynamics and Surface Exchange with the Atmosphere) satellite mission, high-resolution MITgcm (Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model) LLC2160 outputs, generated for mission planning, were evaluated for their representation of tidal currents. Tidal currents simulated by MITgcm were evaluated using 106 in-situ current meter records from eight coastal and high-latitude regions, including Alaska, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Australia, and Svalbard. Tidal constituents were extracted through harmonic analysis and compared using tidal ellipse parameters. Model performance was quantified using the root mean square error (RMSE) of semi-major axis amplitudes and compared with the global barotropic tidal model FES2022. MITgcm reproduces the main spatial patterns and orientations of tidal currents across all study areas. Regional RMSE values range from 1.6 cm s -1 in Svalbard to 13.6 cm s -1 in the eastern United States, corresponding to 15.8%-28.5% of maximum observed tidal current amplitudes. The largest discrepancies occur for the dominant M2 and S2 constituents, with mean RMSEs of 8.85 and 9.55 cm s -1 , respectively. MITgcm generally exhibits larger errors than FES2022 but remains within the correct order of magnitude. These results demonstrate that MITgcm provides a dynamically consistent representation of global tidal currents, despite some amplitude overestimation in regions with complex bathymetry. This validation supports its use for ODYSEA mission preparation and future studies of ocean surface current variability.
Related
- An Assessment of Water Vapor Radiometry Landscape in ngVLA Context
- The GRACE satellite mission and transformation of global groundwater science
- Evaluating the performance of the surface water and ocean topography (SWOT) mission for monitoring reservoirs across the conterminous United States
- Intensification of near-inertial currents in the Atlantic Ocean over the past two decades
- Uncertainty quantification in aviation climate impact: A stochastic approach to mission-specific CO2 and non-CO2 Effects
BibTeX
@article{skandrani2026assessment,
title = {{Assessment of MITgcm tidal currents in the context of the ODYSEA mission}},
author = {Chafih Skandrani and Gabrielle Devos and Loren Carrere and Florent Lyard and Gérald Dibarboure and Nicolas Picot and Mahmoud El Hajj},
journal = {Frontiers in Marine Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmars.2026.1759762},
url = {https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-05855002v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Assessment of MITgcm tidal currents in the context of the ODYSEA mission
AU - Chafih Skandrani
AU - Gabrielle Devos
AU - Loren Carrere
AU - Florent Lyard
AU - Gérald Dibarboure
AU - Nicolas Picot
AU - Mahmoud El Hajj
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Frontiers in Marine Science
DO - 10.3389/fmars.2026.1759762
UR - https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-05855002v1
AB - The accurate representation of tidal currents is essential for understanding coastal circulation and interpreting satellite observations of ocean surface currents. In preparation for the upcoming ODYSEA (Ocean Dynamics and Surface Exchange with the Atmosphere) satellite mission, high-resolution MITgcm (Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model) LLC2160 outputs, generated for mission planning, were evaluated for their representation of tidal currents. Tidal currents simulated by MITgcm were evaluated using 106 in-situ current meter records from eight coastal and high-latitude regions, including Alaska, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Australia, and Svalbard. Tidal constituents were extracted through harmonic analysis and compared using tidal ellipse parameters. Model performance was quantified using the root mean square error (RMSE) of semi-major axis amplitudes and compared with the global barotropic tidal model FES2022. MITgcm reproduces the main spatial patterns and orientations of tidal currents across all study areas. Regional RMSE values range from 1.6 cm s -1 in Svalbard to 13.6 cm s -1 in the eastern United States, corresponding to 15.8%-28.5% of maximum observed tidal current amplitudes. The largest discrepancies occur for the dominant M2 and S2 constituents, with mean RMSEs of 8.85 and 9.55 cm s -1 , respectively. MITgcm generally exhibits larger errors than FES2022 but remains within the correct order of magnitude. These results demonstrate that MITgcm provides a dynamically consistent representation of global tidal currents, despite some amplitude overestimation in regions with complex bathymetry. This validation supports its use for ODYSEA mission preparation and future studies of ocean surface current variability.
SN - 2296-7745
ER -