Synergy between ocean observations and numerical simulations: CLIPPER heritage and DRAKKAR perspectives

• Main Authors: Penduff, Thierry, Barnier, Bernard, Tréguier, Anne-Marie, Le Traon, Pierre-Yves
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Écoulements Géophysiques et Industriels Grenoble (LEGI), Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF), Laboratoire de physique des océans (LPO), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2006
• Subjects: [PHYS.MECA.MEFL]Physics [physics]/Mechanics [physics]/Fluid mechanics [physics.class-ph]; [SPI.MECA.MEFL]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Mechanics [physics.med-ph]/Fluids mechanics [physics.class-ph]; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00252090; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00252090/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00252090/file/Synergy.pdf

Between 1996 and 2005, the French CLIPPER project team performed numerical simulations of the Atlantic Ocean over the WOCE years (1980-2000). Since 2002, the DRAKKAR program extends this framework: international collaboration, global and basin-scale simulations of the ocean circulation, sea-ice and biogeochemical tracers over the 1950-2000+ period at increased resolutions with local grid refinement capabilities, improved physics and numerics. Both projects were designed to strengthen the complementarity between ocean simulations and observations, for the study of the oceanic variability. This review paper illustrates the scientific benefits of such synergies as performed during the CLIPPER experiment, and as presently done within the DRAKKAR program.