A data assimilation method used with an ocean circulation model and its application to the tropical Atlantic

A data assimilation method based on the Kalman-filter theory is presented and tested with the NOAA/GFDL Modular Ocean Model (MOM_2), The method is used to assimilate observed tropical Atlantic Ocean surface and subsurface temperatures obtained from the PIRATA moored buoy array. Comparison between model results with and without assimilation shows that the method works properly, and that it has some advantages in relation to a standard Kalman-filter technique. It provides better agreement with the observed temperature intraseasonal variability, and it does not require linearity of a numerical model. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.