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US 9,792,564 B2Granted
Automated system and method for vertical gradient correction
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsRobert W. Helber, Charlie N. Barron, Michael R. Carnes
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Abstract
System and method for maintaining the observed vertical structure of ocean temperature and salinity in data assimilation systems that otherwise would produce overly smoothed ocean vertical structure. The present embodiment uses a multi-layer least squares minimization technique in which the ocean is split into layers with fundamentally different vertical gradients, and the dynamic ocean layers are constrained by the observed vertical gradients of the layer itself.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method for constructing synthetic sound speed profiles comprising the steps of:
- identifying ocean observational data that includes temperature and salinity measurements for an ocean location;
- generating, based on the ocean observation data, a plurality of layers throughout the depth of the ocean at the ocean location, wherein the plurality of layers includes a surface layer, a mixed layer, a dynamic layer, and a deep ocean layer;
- identifying an interface between each of the plurality of layers, each of the interfaces occurring at an interface ocean depth;
- applying a dynamic layer cost function to the dynamic layer to compute vertical gradient constraints based on a vertical gradient of the ocean observational data and other constraints in each of the plurality of layers, wherein the vertical gradient constraints are incorporated into the synthetic sound speed profiles;
- applying the vertical gradient constraints in each of the plurality of layers to constrain corresponding layer profiles of each of the plurality of layers, wherein the vertical gradient constraints include:
- first guess temperature and salinity fields for constraining the surface layer,
- observed temperature at the mixed layer depth for constraining the mixed layer, and
- observed subsurface temperature and salinity for constraining the deep ocean layer;
- combining the constrained layer profiles of each of the plurality of layers to construct the synthetic sound speed profiles, wherein each of the synthetic sound speed profiles is aligned to a corresponding observed profile within less than 8 meters per second;
- using the synthetic sound speed profiles to generate a three-dimensional synthetic model of temperature and salinity at the ocean location, wherein each of the plurality of layers represented in the three-dimensional synthetic model is constrained by at least one of the vertical gradient constraints;
- and
- generating an ocean forecast that accounts for the vertical gradient based on the three-dimensional synthetic model.
9 more elements
A system for constructing synthetic sound speed profiles comprising:
- an ocean property identifier identifying ocean observational data that includes temperature and salinity measurements for an ocean location;
- an ocean layer processor generating, based on the ocean observation data a plurality of layers throughout the depth of the ocean at the ocean location, wherein the plurality of layers includes a surface layer, a mixed layer, a dynamic layer, and a deep ocean layer;
- an interface processor identifying an interface between each of the plurality of layers, each of the interfaces occurring at an interface ocean depth;
- a constraint processor applying a dynamic layer cost function to the dynamic layer to compute vertical gradient constraints based on a vertical gradient of the ocean observational data and other constraints in each of the plurality of layers, wherein the vertical gradient constraints are incorporated into the synthetic sound speed profiles and include:
- first guess temperature and salinity fields for constraining the surface layer,
- observed temperature at the mixed layer depth for constraining the mixed layer, and
- observed subsurface temperature and salinity for constraining the deep ocean layer;
- a dynamic layer processor creating a dynamic layer profile based on the dynamic layer cost function and then applying the vertical gradient constraints to constrain the dynamic layer profile;
- a surface/deep ocean processor creating at least one layer profile based on the dynamic layer profile and then applying the vertical gradient constraints to constrain the at least one layer profile;
- a profile creator combining the dynamic layer profile and the at least one layer profile to construct the synthetic sound speed profiles, wherein each of the synthetic sound speed profiles is aligned to a corresponding observed profile, within less than 8 meters per second;
- and
- a non-transitory computer-readable medium:
- using the synthetic sound speed profile to generate a three-dimensional synthetic model of temperature and salinity at the ocean location, wherein each of the plurality of layers represented in the three-dimensional synthetic model is constrained by at least one of the vertical gradient constraints;
- and
- generating an ocean forecast that accounts for the vertical gradient based on the three-dimensional synthetic model.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.