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Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA)

Data Set (DS)  |  Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:75048  |  Updated: March 4, 2026  |  Published / External 
Short Citation:
Full Citation Examples
Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, 2026: Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA), https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/75048.

Item Identification

Title: Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA)
Short Name: CORA
Status: On Going
Creation Date: 2024
Abstract:

NOAA's Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA) couples long-term water level observations with hydrodynamic modeling to create historical information between tide stations to bridge gaps in service and serve the Nation's coastal communities effectively and accurately. CORA water levels are simulated with ADvanced CIRCulation (ADCIRC) for ocean circulation modeling and coupled with a phase-averaging model called Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) to produce surface gravity wave spectra and account for time-averaged wave contributions. Coastal water level observations from NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) are low-pass filtered and assimilated into the model to account for long-term sea level variability and to reduce model errors, and validate results. The domain of this reanalysis spans the Gulf, Atlantic (East), and Caribbean coastlines (or CORA-GEC).

The reanalysis (1979-2022) was performed through the partnership of NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) and University of North Carolina's (UNC) Institute of Marine Sciences and Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI). Validation of CORA-GEC water levels compared to tide gauge observations was conducted in collaboration with the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center (UHSLC). This modeled dataset, also provides hourly water levels for unstructured grid nodes along state shorelines and in 500m structured grids. Secondary derived datasets including daily maximums (daily maxes), monthly statistics, and peak over thresholds are included for the structured 500m grids. Tidal datums, extreme water levels and sub-seasonal to annual high tide flooding predictions and outlooks are also among the derived products to be added. Moreover, the domain of the analysis will be expanded to the Pacific and the dataset to be included when it becomes available.

Purpose:

To bridge gaps in reliable long-term water level and wave information vital to crucial decision making for coastal communities and emergency planners and responders across the United States and its territories. CORA is intended to enable the computation of tidal datums and predictions; reinforce decision support applications for determining coastal flooding spatial extent, frequency and severity; regional frequency analysis for extremes and evaluate changing flood risks near and away from existing water level gauges.

Supplemental Information:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1381228/full

https://doi.org/10.25923/5ypp-4e84

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > CLIMATE INDICATORS > ATMOSPHERIC/OCEAN INDICATORS > SEA LEVEL RISE
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > CLIMATE INDICATORS > ATMOSPHERIC/OCEAN INDICATORS > SEA LEVEL RISE > INUNDATION
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > STORM SURGE
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > WAVE DIRECTION
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > WAVE FREQUENCY
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > WAVE HEIGHT
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > WAVE PERIOD
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > WAVE RUNUP
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > WAVE SPECTRA
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > WAVE SPEED/DIRECTION
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SEA SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY > SEA LEVEL > MEAN SEA LEVEL
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SEA SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY > SEA LEVEL > SEA LEVEL ANOMALY
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SEA SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY > SEA SURFACE HEIGHT
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SEA SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY > SEA SURFACE HEIGHT > SEA SURFACE HEIGHT ANOMALY (SSHA)
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > TIDES > STORM SURGE
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > TIDES > TIDAL HEIGHT
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > TIDES > TIDAL RANGE
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > COASTAL PROCESSES > WAVE EROSION
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > COASTAL PROCESSES > WAVE EROSION > DEGRADATION
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE > SURFACE WATER > SURFACE WATER PROCESSES/MEASUREMENTS > INUNDATION > INUNDATION AMOUNT

Physical Location

Organization: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
City: Silver Spring
State/Province: MD

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
Maintenance Frequency: Annually
Data Presentation Form: Model (digital)
Data Set Credit: NOAA's Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA) Dataset: 1979-2022 was accessed on DATE from https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-nos-cora

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 1377774
Date Effective From: 2025
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
Address:
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590
URL: Tides and Currents
Contact Instructions:

Stakeholder Services Branch

tide.predictions@noaa.gov

301-713-2815

Distributor

CC ID: 1377775
Date Effective From: 2025
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
Address:
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590
URL: Tides and Currents
Contact Instructions:

Stakeholder Services Branch

tide.predictions@noaa.gov

301-713-2815

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 1377776
Date Effective From: 2025
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
Address:
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590
URL: Tides and Currents
Contact Instructions:

Stakeholder Services Branch

tide.predictions@noaa.gov

301-713-2815

Point of Contact

CC ID: 1377777
Date Effective From: 2025
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
Address:
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590
URL: Tides and Currents
Contact Instructions:

Stakeholder Services Branch

tide.predictions@noaa.gov

301-713-2815

Extents

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 1377758
W° Bound: -98
E° Bound: -53.8
N° Bound: 45.8
S° Bound: 5.8

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 1377881
Time Frame Type: Range
Start: 1978
End: 2022

Spatial Information

Reference Systems

Reference System 1

CC ID: 1377919

Coordinate Reference System
CRS Type: Geographic 2D
EPSG Code: EPSG:4326
EPSG Name: WGS 84
▾ See Full Coordinate Reference System Information

Reference System 2

CC ID: 1377920

Coordinate Reference System
CRS Type: Geographic 3D
EPSG Code: EPSG:4979
EPSG Name: WGS 84
▾ See Full Coordinate Reference System Information

Reference System 3

CC ID: 1377918

Coordinate Reference System
CRS Type: Vertical
EPSG Code: EPSG:5703
EPSG Name: NAVD88 height
▾ See Full Coordinate Reference System Information

Reference System 4

CC ID: 1377917

Coordinate Reference System
CRS Type: Vertical
EPSG Code: EPSG:5714
EPSG Name: MSL height
▾ See Full Coordinate Reference System Information

Access Information

Data License: CC0-1.0
Data License URL: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
Data License Statement: These data were produced by NOAA and are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. NOAA waives any potential copyright and related rights in these data worldwide through the Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0-1.0).
Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Constraints:

There are no constraints.

Data Use Constraints:

There are no constraints.

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 1377764
Download URL: https://github.com/NOAA-CO-OPS/CORA-Coastal-Ocean-ReAnalysis-CORA
Distributor: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) (2025 - Present)
Description:

GitHub repository for accessing and visualizing data
Distribution Format: Web Service (Other)

Distribution 2

CC ID: 1377879
Download URL: https://noaa-nos-cora-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html
Distributor: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) (2025 - Present)
Description:

NOAA Open Data Dissemination (NODD) Program Amazon Web Services (AWS) Server Direct Link. 'V1.1' is the latest version of the dataset and is available in NetCDF format.

Distribution Format: NC - NetCDF

Distribution 3

CC ID: 1377880
Download URL: https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-nos-cora/
Distributor: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) (2025 - Present)
Description:

NOAA Open Data Dissemination (NODD) Program Description page.

Distribution Format: NC - NetCDF

Distribution 4

CC ID: 1377914
Download URL: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/cora.html
Distributor: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) (2025 - Present)
Description:

This is the landing page for CORA with additional resources.

Distribution Format: Web Service (Other)

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 1377765
URL: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov
Name: Tides and Currents Website
URL Type:
Online Resource
Description:

NOAA Tides and Currents Home page

URL 2

CC ID: 1377766
URL: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/cora.html
Name: CORA landing page
URL Type:
Online Resource
Description:

This is the landing page for CORA with additional resources.

URL 3

CC ID: 1377767
URL: https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/66833
Name: NOAA's Coastal Ocean Reanalysis: Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Caribbean
URL Type:
Online Resource
Description:

CORA's technical report on the Gulf, Atlantic and Caribbean region.

URL 4

CC ID: 1377921
URL: https://adcirc.org/home/documentation/users-manual-v50/parameter-definitions/
URL Type:
Online Resource
Description:

ADCIRC Parameter Definitions

Data Quality

Quantitation Limits:

CORA performance was consistently weakest at water level stations located up coastal rivers, most likely due to inadequate resolution of these water bodies in the ADCIRC grid, a lack of riverine inflow, and fewer stations for assimilation.

Bias:

The meteorological forcing for this coastal water level reanalysis is from ECMWF's ERA5. At a spatial resolution of 0.25 degree, its representation of tropical cyclones tends to be less intense than observed, particularly for peak winds associated with stronger and/or more concentrated storms.
Precision:

Model performance is quite good overall with errors for hourly data and extremes typically within 10 cm, though accuracy can depend heavily on the location, time period, and use case of interest.

Lineage

Lineage Statement:

Each year of the reanalysis is run independently to simplify overall simulation, staging, processing, and management of resources on HPC clusters. This also allows for concurrent simulation of multiple years.

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 1377769
Description:

Compute year-long prior/initial prediction of historical water levels is computed with the ADCIRC model using only tides and meteorological forcing
Process Contact: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590

Process Step 2

CC ID: 1377770
Description:

Perform initial/ prior skill assessment by comparing Prior water levels to NWLON observations and establish prior error timeseries and statistics.

Process Contact: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590

Process Step 3

CC ID: 1377771
Description:

Map errors onto ADCIRC grid by generating Dynamic Water Level Correction (DWLC) terms.

Process Contact: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590

Process Step 4

CC ID: 1377772
Description:

Compute posterior prediction through ADCIRC forcing of astronomical tides, ERAS meteorology and error surfaces (DWLC).
Process Contact: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590

Process Step 5

CC ID: 1377773
Description:

Perform final/ posterior skill assessment by comparing posterior water levels to NOWLON observations and establishing posterior error timeseries and statistics.

Process Contact: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
ROR: https://ror.org/05vcng590

Acquisition Information

Instruments

Instrument Unavailable Reason: Not Applicable

Platforms

Platform Unavailable Reason: Not Applicable

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 75048
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:75048
Metadata Record Created By: Tigist Jima
Metadata Record Created: 2025-03-05 13:41+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2026-03-04 19:17+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2025-03-25
Owner Org: CO-OPS
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2025-03-25
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2026-03-25