Evaluation of the global ocean surface currents in the NMEFC-NEMO Forecast System

Abstract The ocean surface current from the NMEFC-NEMO is evaluated by using the satellite altimeter Ocean Surface Current Analysis (OSCAR) during the period of January 1 to December 31, 2020. Results shows that the NMEFC-NEMO captures well the horizontal distribution of ocean surface currents, with slightly different in the tropical Pacific region, and the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream strong current areas. Furthermore, the NMEFC-NEMO is also evaluated in comparison with the class 4 surface velocities and shows a similar variation with the Mercator. The average RMSE values from NMEFC-NEMO are 0.223 m/s for zonal current and 0.2106 m/s for meridional current, while those of Mercator are 0.2041 m/s and 0.1981 m/s, respectively.