De Dominicis M., S. Falchetti, F. Trotta, N. Pinardi, L. Giacomelli, E. Napolitano, L. Fazioli, R. Sorgente, P.J. Haley Jr., P.F.J. Lermusiaux, F. Martins and M. Cocco, 2014. A Relocatable Ocean Model in support of environmental emergencies - The Costa Concordia emergency case. Ocean Dynamics,
64, 5:667–688. DOI 10.1007/s10236-014-0705-x
During the Costa Concordia emergency case,
regional, subregional, and relocatable ocean models have
been used together with the oil spill model, MEDSLIKII,
to provide ocean currents forecasts, possible oil spill
scenarios, and drifters trajectories simulations. The models
results together with the evaluation of their performances
are presented in this paper. In particular, we focused
this work on the implementation of the Interactive RElocatable
Nested Ocean Model (IRENOM), based on the
Harvard Ocean Prediction System (HOPS), for the Costa
Concordia emergency and on its validation using drifters
released in the area of the accident. It is shown that thanks to
the capability of improving easily and quickly its configuration,
the IRENOM results are of greater accuracy than the
results achieved using regional or subregional model products.
The model topography, the initialization procedures,
and the horizontal resolution are the key model settings to
be configured. Furthermore, the IRENOM currents and the
MEDSLIK-II simulated trajectories showed to be sensitive
to the spatial resolution of the meteorological fields used,
providing higher prediction skills with higher resolution
wind forcing.