Evaluation of the NOAA Real Time Ocean Forecast System_Atlantic for Operational Use at the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center

The Real Time Ocean Forecast System_Atlantic (RT_OFS_ATL) is a new forecast system at NOAA's National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). RT_OFS_ATL, based on the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model, forecasts ocean variables in the Atlantic out to five days. RT_OFS_ATL is being evaluated by the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) for its use as a forecasting tool for marine weather and eventually the basis for a suite of oceanographic products. RT_OFS_ATL has shown realistic behavior in sea surface temperature and height. The initial state of the model has some persistent unrealistic features that are being improved upon