Home : Our Work : Areas of Research : Marine Meteorology
7 Grace Hopper Ave, ST2
Monterey, California 93943
Phone: (831) 656-4721/4758

 

 

About

The Marine Meteorology Division, located in Monterey, California (NRL-MRY), is part of NRL's Ocean and Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate, which contains six divisions performing broadly based scientific research and advanced technology development in the fields of marine geosciences, acoustics, oceanography, marine meteorology, remote sensing, and space science.

The Division conducts a basic and applied research and development program designed to improve scientific understanding of atmospheric processes that impact fleet operations, and develop automated systems that analyze, simulate, predict, and interpret the structure and behavior of these processes and their effect on naval weapons systems.

NRL-MRY is co-located with the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) and has developed and transitioned to FNMOC the data assimilation, global, and mesoscale weather forecast models, aerosol prediction systems, and satellite applications products that form the backbone of the Navy’s worldwide environmental forecasting capability. 


Areas of Research 

  • Adaptive Observations - Is a project site that contains links to targeted observation and error sensitivity information derived from the adjoint of the Navy global forecast model (NOGAPS) and the adjoint of the NRL 3DVAR data assimilation procedure (NAVDAS). We also use these adjoint tools to diagnose the value provided by all observations (globally) assimilated
 
  • Aerosols - A comprehensive collection of aerosol data, satellite imagery, NRL-developed aerosol model forecasts, and other related information reflects the broad range of aerosol research currently being conducted at NRL Monterey
 
  • Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting System - ATCF system is a computer-based graphical display application designed to automate and optimize the forecasting process at operational tropical cyclone warning centers
 
  • COAMPS On-Scene (COAMPS-OS) - Provides the same capabilities as COAMPS, but packaged for workstation execution, with a user-friendly GUI and a local database management system to provide a flexible, on-demand, on-scene data assimilation and model forecast capability
 
  • COAMPS Refractivity and EM Propagation Analysis and Prediction - Numerical weather prediction systems that are utilized to analyze and forecast microwave refractive effects on Naval systems and communications.
 
  • Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System-Tropical Cyclone (COAMPS-TC) - is the Navy high-resolution regional operational prediction system. COAMPS is developed by NRL and consists of data quality control, data assimilation, initialization, a non-hydrostatic atmospheric model and a hydrostatic ocean model. COAMPS-TC uses the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) forecast output on 1-deg grid at a 6-hr interval.
 
  • Fleet Applications and Handbook Publications - Links are provided to a variety of NRL publications of use to ship drivers, forecasters, mariners, and emergency planners around the globe
 
  • NAVGEM, Navy Global Environment Model - The NAVGEM system, developed by the Naval Research Laboratory Global Modeling and Data Assimilation sections, is a state-of-the-art global numerical weather prediction model.
 
  • NexSat, NRL/NPOESS Next-Generation Weather Satellite Demonstration - Is a public-accessible weather satellite website developed and maintained by NRL-MRY. 
 
  • NOWCAST - Is a data fusion system that combines model and through-the-sensor data sources (satellite, radar, UAV) to provide a continuously updated depiction of the battlespace environment, with products tailored for specific warfighting requirements and delivered directly to the tactical decision makers.
 
  • Topographically Forced Flows - TFF modeling studies are used to gain a more complete understanding of topographically-forced flows, particularly in the coastal zone. Specific mesoscale flows of interest include: gravity waves, gravity wave breaking, wake phenomena, undular bores, and orographically-forced precipitation.