Forecast Origin Dates
J-SCOPE forecast results for the simulation beginning in January of 2023 are shown through a series of figures below. In the first figure, each panel represents two-month ensemble averaged anomalies for the region. The panels directly under the anomaly plots depict the relative uncertainty from the ensemble for the same time period.
One bias is known to exist in the model that impacts these forecasted SSTs. The modeled shortwave radiation is known to be too high (see 2013, Year in Review), which can contribute to forecast temperatures being too warm in summer.
For waters off the Washington and Oregon coast, the forecast projects that SST will be warmer than climatology throughout the upwelling season and much warmer than climatology in late summer (July - August). The relative uncertainty is very low (<10%) for the entire forecast.
The SST was forecast using all three model runs of the ensemble for three point locations where buoys exist, Ćháʔba· off La Push, Washington, NH-10 off Newport, Oregon, and CE042 in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, are shown below. All three indicate warmer SSTs than the climatology during most of the summer upwelling season with occasional near climatological episodes.
Finally, climatological cross-sections from the Newport Line in Oregon (44°N), as well as the Grays Harbor Line in Washington (47°N), are compared to the forecasted average of the ensemble members. The forecast projects that although SST is projected to be slightly higher than climatology, this warm anomaly extends deeper along the Grays Harbor Line (0-50m depth) than the Newport Line, and the subsurface waters are forecasted to have temperatures for the upwelling season of 2023 that are slightly lower than the climatology in both Washington and Oregon.
We note that the NANOOS Climatology App shows that the NDBC buoys along the Washington and Oregon shelf are recording sea surface temperatures warmer than the long-term averages since the start of 2023.