Ocean prediction: present status and state of the art

This publication describes the actual status of ocean forecasting, detailing its degree of development in the different regions of the world and the most recent advances in all the relevant specific aspects associated with the technology, such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Ocean prediction services have been improving and evolving during the last decades and today are a crucial tool for decision-making in multiple socio-economic sectors, being the backbone of many applications, including those that enhance marine safety, disaster risk reduction, and coastal zone management.

This compilation results from the coordinated work of a group of experts that forms the so-called “Ocean Forecasting Co-Design Team”, integrated in the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre, a cross-cutting collaborative centre of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It has been prepared in close collaboration with several Decade Programmes, which are closely linked to OceanPrediction DCC, such as Oceanpredict/ForeSea, OceanPractices, and DITTO.

The result is a complete picture of the situation of ocean prediction that demonstrates its relevance and will foster future developments to overcome the present-day limitations. This compilation will be followed by a second one where gaps and ways forward on ocean forecasting and its applications will be explored.