Ocean Modeling

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Simulated models of how plastics are transported in the global ocean show that most plastics concentrate in the middle of subtropical gyres (left). However, large-scale ocean circulation systems such as the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, and the Norwegian Current are carrying the litter all the way up to the Arctic (right). WHOI scientists have launched a long-term, interdisciplinary research initiative to better understand where microplastics—plastic fragments smaller than five millimeters—end up in the global ocean. Illustration by Sam Levang, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The ocean is vast, dynamic, and often inaccessible. Through modeling, scientists can simulate its behavior and better understand its role in Earth's systems. Ocean modeling uses a range of tools - from computer simulations to lab-based "ocean-in-a-box" experiments - to replicate and predict ocean processes. These models help researchers study circulation, track climate signals, and test hypotheses that would be difficult or impossible to observe directly in the real ocean.

Oceanographers use models to explore everything from the Southern Ocean's turbulent currents to long-term climate trends and their connections to human activity. Modeling enables scientists to understand how heat, carbon, and nutrients circulate through the ocean and how changes in one part of the system propagate to others. Even physical cables on the ocean floor are being explored as sensors to transmit real-time data into models.

By refining these tools and techniques, scientists can offer forecasts and insights that are valuable to climate science, weather prediction, marine policy, and ocean management. Modeling transforms scattered data into a coherent picture of how the ocean functions and how it is changing.