Mercator ocean global to regional ocean monitoring and forecasting

The MERCATOR OCEAN monitoring and forecasting system has been routinely operated in Toulouse in near-real-time since early 2001. MERCATOR OCEAN service is aiming at providing estimates of the ocean circulation and thermodynamics at high resolution at the global scale. Products are already used by more than 150 referenced users from various communities: public bodies such as met set-vices and agencies dealing with the ocean and its environment, as well as private bodies that are directly linked with the customers operating in the marine environment. The system is based on high resolution ocean general circulation models (OGCM), real-time processing of remotely sensed and in situ observations. regularly upgraded, expanding and data assimilation techniques. Its has been re the geographical coverage from regional to global ocean, improving models and assimilation schemes, adding new data and building new products. Three prototypes of the MERCATOR system are currently running: one global coarse resolution (2 degrees) configuration, one in the north and equatorial Atlantic at medium resolution (1/3 degrees), and one with high resolution (1/15 degrees) in the north Atlantic and Mediterranean. The goal is to build a high resolution O(1/12 degrees) global unique system by the end of 2008. This service is one component of GODAE in Europe, and is one of the key components of the GMES/MERSEA European integrated project. A brief overview of MERCATOR OCEAN, the project and the systems, some recent Upgrades and some examples of application using MERCATOR inputs are presented.