Democratize the Data: A New Way to Analyze and Design Ocean Models

Ocean circulation models running on the latest supercomputers can cover the globe with resolutions of a few kilometers. These virtual ocean datasets are increasingly realistic and provide insight into processes at scales that are inaccessible with conventional observations. Because these datasets are far too massive for individual researchers to download and analyze, new cloud-based, open-source, cyberinfrastructure resources are being developed. These tools provide a new analysis paradigm that is scalable, accessible, and inclusive, and that democratizes access to ocean circulation model output. They also accelerate the pace of analysis of ocean models and thereby increase the pace of discovery in oceanography. Another challenge concerns the priorities for next-generation ocean circulation models. In particular, to improve circulation model simulations, how should increased supercomputer power be spent? Input on this question from the oceanographic community is sought.