Abstract: Embodiments relate to a system and methods for isolating the inertial and non-inertial components of a velocity field in a body of water, and further provides methods for predicting a path of an object in a body of water and for identifying an initial location in the water at which an object should be placed so that it travels to a desired location. The methods in some cases can partition a time series of velocity fields into inertial and non-inertial components in such a way that accounts for the variation of the inertial period over the range of latitudes within the field and maintains the fidelity of non-inertial variability over both shorter and longer time scales. The embodiments seperate the less-reliable inertial components from the more-reliable non-inertial background, enabling straightforward calculation of transport due to the non-inertial flow and evaluation of the superposition of inertial oscillations.

Abstract: System and method for maintaining the observed vertical structure of ocean temperature and salinity in data assimilation systems that otherwise would produce overly smoothed ocean vertical structure. The present embodiment uses a multi-layer least squares minimization technique in which the ocean is split into layers with fundamentally different vertical gradients, and the dynamic ocean layers are constrained by the observed vertical gradients of the layer itself.

Abstract: System and method for partitioning a time series of velocity fields into inertial and non-inertial components to account for the variation of the inertial period over the range of latitudes within the field and to maintain the fidelity of non-inertial variability over both shorter and longer time scales. The system and method can facilitate flow interpretations and drift predictions by separating the less-reliable inertial components from the more-reliable non-inertial background.

Abstract: System and method for maintaining the observed vertical structure of ocean temperature and salinity in data assimilation systems that otherwise would produce overly smoothed ocean vertical structure. The present embodiment uses a multi-layer least squares minimization technique in which the ocean is split into layers with fundamentally different vertical gradients, and the dynamic ocean layers are constrained by the observed vertical gradients of the layer itself.

Abstract: A method for providing a more accurate synthetic profiles of temperature, salinity and sound speed of the ocean over an area of interest is provided by using a value of the mixed layer depth in addition to values of surface temperature and surface height in an ocean modeling system such as the Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) system developed for the U.S. Navy. The method of the present invention compares the predicted or observed mixed layer depth for the area of interest, for example, as obtained from remote sensing or upper ocean modeling, to a mixed layer depth estimated from an initial synthetic profile, and determines which is deeper, termed the reference mixed layer depth. The method then derives a modified temperature and salinity synthetic profile by setting the temperature and salinity equal to the surface values at depths less than or equal to the reference mixed layer depth and using an algorithm to estimate temperature and salinity at depths below the reference mixed layer depth.

Abstract: A method for providing a more accurate synthetic profiles of temperature, salinity and sound speed of the ocean over an area of interest is provided by using a value of the mixed layer depth in addition to values of surface temperature and surface height in an ocean modeling system such as the Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) system developed for the U.S. Navy. The method of the present invention compares the predicted or observed mixed layer depth for the area of interest, for example, as obtained from remote sensing or upper ocean modeling, to a mixed layer depth estimated from an initial synthetic profile, and determines which is deeper, termed the reference mixed layer depth. The method then derives a modified temperature and salinity synthetic profile by setting the temperature and salinity equal to the surface values at depths less than or equal to the reference mixed layer depth and using an algorithm to estimate temperature and salinity at depths below the reference mixed layer depth.