For documentation, see the following web page: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/GODAS/
Additional background information can be found in the PDF document Introduction.pdf available at the NCEP GODAS web page.
The following description is an excerpt from "Background.pdf":
The new Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (GODAS) was developed to be the replacement for RA6, and to provide oceanic initial conditions for the global Climate Forecast System (CFS) newly developed at NCEP (Saha et al. 2006). A simple evaluation of GODAS is reported by Behringer and Xue (2004), and a journal paper is in preparation.
The GODAS is based on a quasi-global configuration of the GFDL MOM.v3. The model domain extends from 75°S to 65°N and has a resolution of 1° by 1° enhanced to 1/3° in the N-S direction within 10° of the equator. The model has 40 levels with a 10 meter resolution in the upper 200 meters. This configuration represents a small improvement over RA6 which had a 1.5° resolution in the E-W direction and 28 levels in the vertical. Other new features include an explicit free surface, the Gent-McWilliams isoneutral mixing scheme and the KPP vertical mixing scheme. The GODAS is forced by the momentum flux, heat flux, and fresh water flux from the NCEP atmospheric Reanalysis 2 (R2). In addition the temperature in the top model level is relaxed to weekly analyses of sea surface temperature, while the surface salinity is relaxed to annual salinity climatology.
References associated with this data set:
Behringer, D. W., and Y. Xue, 2004: Evaluation of the global ocean data assimilation system at NCEP: The Pacific Ocean. Eighth Symposium on Integrated Observing and Assimilation Systems for Atmosphere, Oceans, and Land Surface, AMS 84th Annual Meeting, Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, Washington, 11-15.
GODAS contacts: Yan Xue (Yan.Xue@noaa.gov) or David Behringer (David.Behringer@noaa.gov) or Boyin Huang (Boyin.Huang@noaa.gov)
