Ocean Motion Analytics

Studies

Ocean modelling studies,
for the question you're asking

01 — Ocean model development

We build models

From grid to boundaries to surface forcing to calibration to validation, using the modelling packages the global community relies on.

Once built, a model configuration can be run as an operational forecast, updated on a daily cycle.

Modelling packages we work with

  • CROCO / ROMS 3D regional circulation, water level, temperature, salinity.
  • WW3 Spectral wave modelling, regional to coastal scales, two-way coupling with CROCO.
  • Delft3D Coastal, estuarine and port scale waves, hydrodynamics, morphology, water quality.
  • MIKE by DHI Same use case as Delft3D, used where the client's existing pipeline is MIKE-based.
  • OpenDrift Lagrangian trajectory modelling for oil spills, search-and-rescue drift, and particle transport.
Cutaway 3D block of a CROCO model grid, coloured by temperature, showing terrain-following layers draping over the seabed, surface currents, and the air-sea exchanges the model resolves
Output from a CROCO 3D circulation model, highlighting some of the physical processes included in the model.
Unstructured mesh refined from the regional domain down to the coastline
Unstructured mesh built with MIKE by DHI tools, used to run a coastal wave model.
Curvilinear structured grid spanning a semi-enclosed basin
Curvilinear structured grid built with Delft3D tools, used to run 3D ocean circulation and wave models.

02 — Dispersion & transport modelling

Where does it go?

We model how things move in the ocean — effluent, oil, sediment, and objects — on top of a calibrated circulation model.

The same modelling tools can be used to answer scientific questions (e.g. coral reef connectivity, tracer diagnostics) as well as for applied work (e.g. environmental impact assessments, outfall design).

What we model

  • Outfall modelling Dilution and dispersion of treated effluent, cooling water, and brine discharges.
  • Oil spill modelling Trajectory, weathering, and shoreline impact from potential spills from ships or offshore drilling.
  • Dredge plume modelling Suspended sediment plume extent and duration for dredging campaigns.
  • Object drift modelling Search-and-rescue drift prediction, larval transport, debris tracking, lost-container trajectories.
Modelled surface oil thickness and shoreline oiling from a spill scenario, shown against the ocean eddy field
Modelled surface oil and shoreline oiling from a spill scenario, shown against the ocean eddy field that transports it.
Modelled near-bed salinity plume from a desalination outfall
Modelled brine plume from a desalination outfall — near-bed salinity, showing dilution between the outfall and a nearby intake.

03 — Hindcast & design criteria

Looking back to design ahead

Multi-decade hindcasts and statistical products for planning and design.

These products support design and risk decisions across offshore energy, coastal engineering, port design, and insurance.

What we produce

  • Extreme value analysis 1-in-N year return-period estimates for wave height, wind, water level, current, or other variables of interest.
  • Joint probability Hs × Tp × direction, or Hs × water level — for design load cases where single-variable extremes aren't enough.
  • Coastal flooding assessments Extreme water levels from tide, surge, and wave setup, combined into flood levels and inundation extents for coastal infrastructure.
  • Persistence & downtime The hindcast version of an operability-windows product — how many workable days per year, and when.
Return-period estimate of significant wave height from an extreme value analysis, with 95% confidence limits
Return-period estimate of significant wave height (Hm0) from an extreme value analysis, with 95% confidence limits.

Tell us what you're working on.

info@oceanmotionanalytics.com →