ECMWF ensemble of ocean reanalyses of the 20th century (ORA-20C)

Area: Global

Period: 1900-2009

Data available: YES

Model: NEMOv3.4 + LIM2
Resolution: (ORCA1_Z42): Horizontal 1°x1° with equatorial refinement (0.3). 42 vertical levels, about 10m-15m level thickness in upper 200m.
Data assimilated: Temperature and Salinity profiles from the EN4.0.2 with bias correction from Gouretski and Reseghetti (2010) including XBT, CTD, Argo and mooring data. SST is from HadISST2.1.1 monthly SST analysis. The SST information is used to constrain the upper level ocean temperature via a newtonian relaxation scheme.
Assimilation method: NEMOVAR in its 3D-var FGAT mode. The assimilation window is 1 month.
Forcing and relaxation used: 3-hour surface fluxes of heat, momentum and fresh water are derived from the ERA-20C atmospheric surface fields via the CORE bulk formula.
Download Data: FTP at ICDC
Contact: Eric de Boisseson, Eric.Boisseson (at) ecmwf.int or Magdalena Balmaseda, Magdalena.Balmaseda (at) ecmwf.int
References:

• de Boisseson, E., Balmaseda, M. and M. Mayer (2017). Ocean heat content variability in an ensemble of twentieth century ocean reanalyses. Clinate Dynamics. DOI: 10.1007/s00382-017-3845-0. (pdf, not barrier-free)
• de Boisseson, E. and M. Balmaseda (2016). An ensemble of 20th century ocean reanalyses for providing ocean initial conditions for CERA-20C coupled streams. ERA report series 24.