Modeled Datasets
The NOAA Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System is a numerical model that calculates waves, currents and temperatures for each of the Great Lakes. The GLCFS Nowcast, run four times per day, provides estimates of conditions at the time the model was run. The GLCFS Forecast runs twice per day and provides a prediction of conditions 60 hours into the future. Two sets of model results are created during each run, one defining conditions on the surface (two-dimensional) and one that defines circulation within the lake (three-dimensional). The GLCFS Nowcast and Forecast 2d model results include 11 variables: Longitude in degrees north; Latitude in degrees east; Bathymetry depth in meters; Sigma value for each node; Time as UTC in seconds since 1/1/1070; Height above model sea level in meters; Eastward water velocity at surface in meters/second; Northward water velocity at surface in meters/second; Significant wave height in meters; Wave direction in degrees; Wave period in seconds. The GLCFS Nowcast and Forecast 3d model results include 10 variables: Longitude in degrees north; Latitude in degrees east; Bathymetry depth in meters; Depth for each node in meters; Sigma value for each node; Time as UTC in seconds since 1/1/1970; Water temperature in degrees Celsius; Eastward Current velocity in meters/second; Northward current velocity in meters/second; Height above model sea level in meters
GLCFS data for the current calendar year is updated on the GLOS THREDDS server (TDS) after each run of the model. Archives of Nowcast results are created for each completed calendar year beginning with 2006. Use the links below to connect with the individual TDS dataset pages:
- GLCFS TDS
- GLCFS Point Query Tool
- GLCFS models are also available in the GLOS Data Portal
- See also: GLCFS 50-day file transfer
The Huron to Erie Connecting Waterways Forecasting System provides predicted forecasts of water levels and currents through the Huron to Erie Corridor. The tool has varying applications, which include guiding spill response, search and rescue, beach health management, drinking water safety, and finding the source of fish kills, among others. Features include: Nowcasts every three hours and forecasts every 12 hours for currents and water level for St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and Detroit River. Data is provided through the GLOS Data Portal interface (search for HECWFS).
- HECWFS TDS
- GLOS Data Portal
- NOAA/GLERL HECWFS
- HECWFS Contaminant Spill Scenarios:
- Contaminant spill scenarios were simulated along the Lake St. Clair and Detroit River parts of the Huron-Erie Corridor (HEC) based on the NOAA-operated Huron to Erie Connecting Waterways Forecasting System (HECWFS), combined with a computational Lagrangian particle transport model. Within the model, tracer particles were released continuously over a one-year modeling period at an upstream location, and the particle trajectories were examined to calculate statistics for travel times to receptors of interest (public beaches and drinking water intakes) as well as the probability of a spill at a particular location affecting the receptors. This resource is restricted to applicable users and is intended to provide water treatment plant operators and beach managers with a planning and response tool that can aid in developing standard operating procedures and informing decision making when a fast response to a spill is required. The results can also be used for planning ahead of potential spills. Data is provided through a specialized OceansMap interface (RPS).
Nowcast and Forecast Aggregations from SLRFVM - Upper St. Lawrence River (FVCOM) run out of GLERL. This data is historical (up to 2015).
