EFSIS is based on Princeton Ocean Model (POM), which is a free surface, hydrostatic, sigma coordinate, primitive equation ocean model with a Mellor-Yamada 2.5 turbulence closure scheme. POM is configured for East Florida Shelf in a curvilinear coordinate system of 223 x 97 horizontal grid points with 25 vertical sigma levels and is called EFS-POM. EFS-POM is forced by surface atmospheric forcing (wind, heating/cooling, sea level pressure) and by boundary forcing derived from Global NCOM and a barotropic tidal model.

    The barotropic tidal model encompasses EFS-POM grid points as its interior points (251 x 101) and thus is slightly larger than EFS-POM domain. From harmonic constants of four major semi-diunrnal (M2, S2, N2, K2) and four major diurnal (O1, K1, P1, Q1) tidal constituents obtained from OSU TPXO.6, sea level fluctuations are derived at open boundaries of the tidal model, which then are used to force the tidal model along with tidal potential forcing in the interior. During model integration, velocities and sea levels at grid points corresponding to open boundaries of EFS-POM are saved to be used as boundary forcing of EFS-POM. Also, velocities, sea levels, temperatures and salinities are interpolated from 1/8 degree Global NCOM output at EFS-POM open boundaries. Then, external velocities and sea levels from the tidal model and Global NCOM are combined in a modified Flather boundary condition to force EFS-POM. A upwind scheme is used for temperature and salinity at the open boundary.

    For the atmospheric forcing, 12-km resolution NAM (North America Mesoscale) model products (winds and sea level pressures) are used. Hindcast run is one day long and forced by six hourly NAM Analysis winds and sea level pressures and forecast run is three-and-half days long and forced by three hourly NAM forcast winds and sea level pressures. Global NCOM analysis data are 0-day interval and forecast data are 3-hour interval. At present, heat flux data at the sea surface are from COADS montly climatology.