A 1-km CROCO Ocean Circulation Hindcast Model of the Northeast Atlantic (1993-2024)

A high-resolution (1-km) simulation of the 3-dimensional regional ocean circulation of the Coastal and Regional Ocean COmmunity model (CROCO) for an area of the Northeast Atlantic, was successfully carried out from 1993 to 2024 (32 years). The domain extends from 48.05° N to 59.47° N and from 15.78° W to 1.44° W. Outputs include physical ocean variables (e.g. temperature, salinity, water speed and directions)). The hindcast simulation was validated with a variety of measured data sources. We evaluated the model skill by comparing with measured data and calculating statistics such as bias, mean error, root mean square error (RMSE), and correlation coefficient. The observations consist of satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST), water level time series from the Irish and UK tide gauge networks. Output data from this model underpin downstream services to numerous stakeholders, e.g. the aquaculture industry, search and rescue services and oyster restoration efforts. This work forms part of the EMFAF-funded project “Climate projection and decision support tools”.