Regional MOM6 Documentation#
regional-mom6 is a Python package for automatic generation of regional configurations for the Modular Ocean Model version 6 (MOM6).
In brief…#
Users just need to provide some information about where, when, and how big their domain is and also where raw input forcing files are. The package sorts out all the boring details and creates a set of MOM6-friendly input files along with setup directories ready to go!
The idea behind this package is that it should let the user sidestep some of the tricky issues with getting the model to run in the first place. This removes some of the steep learning curve for people new to working with MOM6. Note that the resultant model configuration might still need some tweaking (e.g., fiddling with timestep to avoid CFL-related numerical stability issues or fiddling with bathymetry to deal with very narrow fjords or channels that may exist).
Features#
Automatic grid generation at chosen vertical and horizontal grid spacing.
Automatic removal of non-advective cells from the bathymetry that cause the model to crash.
Handle slicing across ‘seams’ in of the forcing input datasets (e.g., when the regional configuration includes longitude 180 and the forcing longitude is defined in [-180, 180]).
Handles metadata encoding.
Creates directory structure with the configuration files as expected by MOM6.
Handles interpolation and interpretation of input data. No pre-processing of forcing datasets is required. (In some cases, slicing the forcing dataset before helps with hitting limitations related to the machine’s available memory.)
Limitations#
Only generates regional horizontal grids with uniform spacing in longitude and latitude. However, users can provide their own non-uniform grid, or ideally open a pull request with a method that generates other types of horizontal grids.
Only supports boundary segments that are parallel to either lines of constant longitude or lines of constant latitude.
What you need to get started#
a cool idea for a new regional MOM6 domain,
a working MOM6 executable on a machine of your choice,
a bathymetry file that at least covers your domain,
3D ocean forcing files of any resolution on your choice of A, B, or C Arakawa grid,
surface forcing files (e.g., from ERA or JRA reanalysis), and
GFDL’s FRE tools downloaded and compiled on the machine you are using.
Browse through the demos.