Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy and Cook Inlet Alaska Tidal Current Predictions Now Available on Dolphin
Brandon Capasso, Director of Maritime Operations
WRI is proud to announce the addition of the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy and Cook Inlet to the regional Operational Nowcast and Forecast Hydrodynamic Model Systems (OFS) available on our Dolphin Website. This is in addition to several other coastal regions which are already available. The OFS product allows users to view microscale 1-hourly or 3-hourly ocean/tidal current output for various coastal areas around the United States out to 36-48 hours, with model updates 2-4 times daily (depending on region).

Image 1: OFS tidal currents in the Bay of Fundy on Dolphin
OFS is a state-of-the-art numerical hydrodynamic model driven by real-time data and inputs including meteorological, oceanographic, and river flow rate forecasts, resulting in a highly accurate prediction for water movements on extremely small scales near estuaries, bay entrances, capes, and tidal flats.

Image 2: OFS tidal currents in the Mississippi River Delta on Dolphin, which also show discharge from the river delta.
OFS currents forecasts are currently available on Dolphin for the following regions around the U.S. Coastlines:
- Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy
- Hudson River Estuary/New York Harbor
- Delware Bay and Adjacent Waters
- Chesapeake Bay and Adjacent Waters
- St. Johns River Estuary
- Tampa Bay and Adjacent Waters
- U.S. Gulf Coast from Panama City to Tampico, Mexico
- San Francisco Bay and Adjacent Waters
- Columbia River Estuary
- Straits of Juan de Fuca and Georgia (Vancouver Island)
- Cook Inlet and Adjacent Waters
This product can be accessed on Dolphin in the parameter menu by clicking on the “Forecast Currents” dropdown, and selecting “U.S. Tidal Currents”, as shown in the image below. From there, be sure that the radio buttons for “Color” and “Vector” are selected on the same line in order to show the color shaded current speed and direction arrows. The user may also select “Animate” to show animated particles instead of vectors to represent direction.

Image 3: Forecast parameter menu selection on Dolphin
While our Dolphin Website currently provides only currents output from these models (speed and direction), many other parameters are available upon request, including subsurface ocean current (20 levels), water level, water temperature, salinity, and more.
Contact us for further information on how to gain access to these value forecast products, and many more, on our Dolphin Fleet Management Website.