Intercomparison of glider assimilation in the different analysis and forecasting systems

The present deliverable is a continuation of deliverable D4.21, in which we presented the first steps in the design and preparation of different reanalysis simulations assimilating glider data. We here show the assessment and intercomparison of CMCC MedFS and SOCIB WMOP systems experiments. We have performed, for each system, three different experiments, running a one-year simulation during 2017. We compare a free-run simulation without data assimilation (FREE) and two reanalyses including assimilation: one considering only the generic data sources included in each operational system (NOGLID) and another one adding glider observations to the previous dataset (GLIDER). The models are assessed and inter compared to each other, focusing on the performance to represent the observed 3D structure of the ocean and on their capacity to recreate physical processes, as an anticyclonic eddy structure present in the Balearic sea. Results show how in both systems the use of glider observations can help to further improve the results obtained when using data assimilation, helping to an enhancement of the forecasting capabilities. (EuroSea Deliverable, D4.9)