An Introduction to Operational Chains in Ocean Forecasting

Abstract. Operating the ocean value chain requires implementation of steps that must work systematically and automatically to generate ocean predictions and delivers ocean data information in standard format. This task, that represent the backbone of operational forecasting systems, implies the design of robust workflows, that organize pre-processing of the upstream data, run of the core models and post-processing before the final delivery. Operational chains require dedicated computational resources to supply demanding modelling runs but also processing and analysis of big volume of data, in relation to the specific spatial scale and consistently for the forecast lead times. The monitoring of each step of the workflow through key performance metrics can support not only the timely delivery but also identifying problems and troubleshooting. The paper illustrates the main challenges foreseen by operational chains in integrating complex numerical frameworks from global to coastal scale and discusses on existing tools that facilitate orchestration of operational chain components, including examples of existing systems and their consolidated capacity in providing high quality and timely ocean forecasts.