Ocean Prediction Center Virtual Tour - Outlook Desk

The Outlook Desk is staffed 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays. The Outlook Desk shift cycle is completed once per day, from 1300Z to 2300Z, and is named for its focus on longer range products.

Desk Highlights: ♦ Atlantic 96 hour forecast suite ♦ ♦ Pacific 96 hour forecast suite ♦ ♦ Atlantic Regional Sea State Analysis (feet) ♦ ♦ 12Z Full Atlantic Basin Sea State Analysis (meters) ♦ ♦ Quality Control of World Observations (CREWSS) ♦ ♦ Quality Control -- Northern Hemispheric Ice Edge Updates ♦
	Lead Forecaster Jim Clark completing a wind/wave forecast prog

Pacific 96 hour 500 mb forecast	Pacific 96 hour surface forecast	Pacific 96 hour wind & wave forecast

Atlantic 96 hour 500 mb forecast	Atlantic 96 hour surface forecast	Atlantic 96 hour wind & wave forecast

More Details:

The Outlook Desk primarily focuses on the medium to longer ranger portions of the forecast, the 96 hour (days 4 into 5) suite of Atlantic and Pacific products. While these products are based on the 1200 UTC global model cycles, forecasts in this time range tend to depend heavily on ensemble forecasting and model trends, rather than just the latest deterministic solution.

In addition to these longer range forecast charts, the Outlook desk is responsible for completing several other seasonal products. This desk provides post-tropical guidance points to the National Hurricane Center, and special support for Antarctic research expeditions on the National Science Foundation's R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer icebreaker.

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