Prediction of ocean surface current: Research status, challenges, and opportunities. A review

Ocean surface currents have an essential role in the Earth's climate system and significantly impact the marine ecosystem, weather patterns, and human activities. However, predicting ocean surface currents remains challenging due to the complexity and variability of the oceanic processes involved. This review article provides an overview of the current research status, challenges, and opportunities in the prediction of ocean surface currents. We discuss the various observational and modelling approaches used to study ocean surface currents, including satellite remote sensing, in situ measurements, and numerical models. We also highlight the major challenges facing the prediction of ocean surface currents, such as data assimilation, model-observation integration, and the representation of sub-grid scale processes. In this article, we suggest that future research should focus on developing advanced modeling techniques, such as machine learning, and the integration of multiple observational platforms to improve the accuracy and skill of ocean surface current predictions. We also emphasize the need to address the limitations of observing instruments, such as delays in receiving data, versioning errors, missing data, and undocumented data processing techniques. Improving data availability and quality will be essential for enhancing the accuracy of predictions. The future research should focus on developing methods for effective bias correction, a series of data preprocessing procedures, and utilizing combined models and xAI models to incorporate data from various sources. Advancements in predicting ocean surface currents will benefit various applications such as maritime operations, climate studies, and ecosystem management.