OceanTracker

Fast particle tracking in structured and unstructured grids

OceanTracker is a fast extendable code for offline particle tracking in structured and unstructured grids [1]. OceanTracker currently supports structured grid ROMs and GLORYS (NEMO/COPERNICUS) for fixed z level vertical grids and unstructured grids of SCHISM (both original netcdf format and new format with variables split between files) and DELFT3D-FM. Other formats added on request.

Fast computational approaches to numerical interpolation makes OceanTracker extremely fast even on a single computer core [2]. In addition, intense computations are split to run in parallel across available physical computer cores.

OceanTracker’s speed enables millions of particles to be simulated. This significantly increases the range of particle behaviours that can be modeled and the quality of statistics derived from the particles. To eliminate the need to store and wade through the analysis of vast volumes of recorded particle tracks, the code has the ability to calculate statistics on the fly, such as heat maps and connectivity between regions.

OceanTracker code is highly flexible and extendable by the user, whether run by a new user with a text file of parameters, or by an expert adding their specialised code for novel particle behaviours or statistics, to the computational pipe line

More about OceanTracker

Gallery

Installing OceanTracker

Beginners guide

Tutorials

[1] Vennell, R.,Steidle. L., Scheel, M.,Chaput. R., Knight, B. and Smeaton, M, OceanTracker 0.5: Fast Adaptable Lagrangian Particle Tracking in Structured and Unstructured Grid, preprint, https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/8387/

[2] Vennell, R., Scheel, M., Weppe, S., Knight, B. and Smeaton, M., 2021. Fast lagrangian particle tracking in unstructured ocean model grids , Ocean Dynamics, 71(4), pp.423-437.