Abstract
Rías Baixas is a coastal region located in northwestern Spain (Galicia), between Cape Fisterra and the Portugal-Spain border. Its rich natural resources, which are key for the welfare of the region, are highly vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic stress. In this study, the operational ocean forecasting system developed at the meteorological agency of the Galician government (MeteoGalicia) is presented focussing on the Rías Baixas region. This system includes four models providing daily output data: the hydrodynamic models ROMS and MOHID, the atmospheric model WRF and the hydrological model SWAT. Here, MOHID’s implementation for the Rías Baixas region is described and the model’s performance with respect to observations is shown for those locations where Current-Temperature-Depth (CTD) profiles are obtained weekly by the Technological Institute for the Monitoring of the Marine Environment in Galicia (INTECMAR). Although the hydrodynamical conditions of this region are complex, the model skillfully reproduces these CTDs. The model results and derived products are publicly available through MeteoGalicia’s web page and data server (www.meteogalicia.gal).