LETKF‐based Ocean Research Analysis (LORA) version 1.0

Abstract

Local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF)‐based Ocean Research Analysis (LORA) version 1.0 datasets for western North Pacific (WNP) and Maritime Continent (MC) regions (LORA‐WNP and ‐MC, respectively) are released through the JAXA‐RIKEN Ocean Analysis website. The LORA datasets are created using an eddy‐resolving LETKF‐based ocean data assimilation system with satellite sea‐surface temperature, salinity, and height data and with in‐situ temperature and salinity data assimilated daily. The LORA datasets include 128‐member ensemble analyses at the sea surface (2D), each term of mixed‐layer temperature and salinity budget equations, and the related variables (2D) such as mixed‐layer depth and heat and freshwater fluxes as well as system grid information and analysis ensemble mean and spread (3D), from August 2015 to January 2024 (as of June 2024). The LORA datasets are useful for geoscience research and practical applications, especially for particle tracking, boundary conditions of atmospheric models, and research on spatiotemporal variations in sea‐surface temperature and salinity.