What Is an Ocean Model? Types of Ocean Models
In the first part, Fernand Assene defined what an ocean model is and set out its mathematical foundation. This second part answers a natural follow-up: how many types of ocean model exist, and what is each one for?
The reason there are so many is that the ocean is an extraordinarily complex, multiscale system – its processes span from seconds to centuries, and from millimetres to thousands of kilometres. No single model can capture all of that at once. Instead, a whole family of specialised modelling systems has grown up, each tailored to a particular class of processes and applications.
In this lecture you’ll meet the main types, including:
- Ocean General Circulation Models (OGCMs) – the baseline models that simulate large-scale circulation, from coarse global runs to very high-resolution regional ones (NEMO, HYCOM, MITgcm, ROMS, MOM, CROCO)
- Wave-current coupled models – which add the surface waves that a circulation model alone misses, critical for coastal hazards, navigation, and the blue economy
- and the other specialised systems in the family, each built for a different part of the ocean’s enormous range of scales and processes
As you watch, notice the recurring logic: which processes a model needs to capture, and on what scales, is what determines the kind of model you reach for. That idea – matching the model to the job – runs through the whole week, and it’s exactly what you’ll apply in this week’s activities.
