Certificate of Achievement
has completed the following course:
Fundamentals of Ocean Forecasting
ICMPA - UNESCO Chair and Gulf of Guinea Ocean Sciences Summer School (GGOSSS)
Successfully completed OPERA MOOC Set 1: Fundamentals of Ocean Forecasting – a seven-week course developed by the ICMPA–UNESCO Chair and GGOSSS, under the EU-funded OPERA project implemented by Mercator Ocean International. This course received funding from the European Union through the Ocean Prediction Enhancement of Regions in Africa (OPERA project) in the framework of the African Regional Centres of Excellence for Science, Technology and Innovation for the green transition (ArcX).
7 weeks, 4 hours per week
Prof. Ezinvi BALOÏTCHA
CHAIR Holder, International Chair of Mathematical Physics and Applications (ICMPA-UNESCO CHAIR)
ICMPA - UNESCO Chair
Dr. Babette C. Tchonang
Assistant Research Scientist, Florida State University
Gulf of Guinea Ocean Sciences Summer School (GGOSSS)
Transcript
Learning outcomes
- Describe the architecture and purpose of an end-to-end ocean forecasting system, from observations to user applications
- Explain the fundamental physical principles governing ocean circulation, including geostrophic balance, Ekman dynamics, tides, waves, and mesoscale variability
- Explain how numerical ocean models are constructed, configured, and used in operational forecasting at global, regional, and coastal scales
- Identify the major satellite and in-situ observing systems that supply ocean forecasting systems, and explain the role of data assimilation in improving forecast accuracy
- Identify and access key upstream data sources including Copernicus Marine Service products and atmospheric forcing datasets
- Interpret common ocean forecast outputs such as sea surface temperature maps, current fields, and sea level anomalies, and recognize their limitations
- Explain how ocean forecast products are translated into downstream applications across sectors such as fisheries, maritime safety, and coastal risk management, with examples from Africa
Syllabus
- Week 1 – Overview of the end-to-end ocean forecasting system
- Week 2 – Fundamentals of ocean dynamics
- Week 3 – Introduction to numerical ocean models
- Week 4 – Ocean observations and data assimilation
- Week 5 – Upstream data sources for ocean forecasting
- Week 6 – Interpretation of ocean forecast outputs
- Week 7 – Introduction to downstream applications of ocean forecasts
Issued on 15th September 2026
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