Fully Coupled Real-Time COAMPS-TC Forecasts for ITOP Experiment

Real-time forecasts using the fully Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System – Tropical Cyclone (COAMPS®-TC) are conducted over the Western Pacific in support of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)'s field experiment Impact of Typhoon on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) conducted in the summer of 2010. Real-time fully coupled forecasts are used to provide guidance for the deployment of AXBT and dropsonde deployed from a Air Force C-130, to schedule research ship routing to distribute drifters, and to provide drifter motion track forecasts to help to retrieve them after storms. The observational data from ITOP field experiment will be used to verify the numerical model. We will present some preliminary insights into the ocean response to typhoons based on the real-time forecasts and preliminary observations that will be available.