About MEDM-Lab

The Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Modeling Laboratory (MEDM-Lab) at the School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth houses a research team with a focus on interdisciplinary sciences, including numerical ocean modeling, estuarine and ocean circulation, downscaling regional climate change, biological/physical interaction, fisheries, and offshore wind renewable energy. The MEDM-Lab has developed an innovative unstructured grid Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). FVCOM is designed to explore and simulate the physical, biological, geological, and chemical interaction processes over estuarine to global scales, particularly for regions characterized by irregular complex coastlines, islands, inlets, creeks, inter-tidal zones, and steep bottom topography.

Built on the framework of FVCOM, the MEDM-Lab has established a U.S. Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System (NECOFS). NECOFS is an advanced high-resolution, global-regional-coastal coupled weather/waves/ocean-river model system designed to integrate real-time observations to produce accurate forecasts of the coastal ocean environment for the storm-induced coastal inundation early warming, ocean rescue and safety, and marine operations. This system was placed into the 24/7 forecast operation in 2007.

The University of Massachusetts School of Marine Science is an intercampus graduate education center providing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The MEDM-Lab has actively trained Ph.D. graduate students in interdisciplinary modeling and welcomes applications from talented students in Physical Oceanography, Engineering, Biology, and Fisheries.