Advances in Earth Science ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (6): 661-676. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2026.048
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Panpan Chen1,2,3(), Liang Zhao1, Zhigang Gao3(), Hongli Fu2,3(), Wenya Yuan2,3, Lingfei Dai2,3, Xinrong Wu2,3, Bo Dan2,3, Cheng Li3
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Panpan Chen, Liang Zhao, Zhigang Gao, Hongli Fu, Wenya Yuan, Lingfei Dai, Xinrong Wu, Bo Dan, Cheng Li. Evaluation of Near-Surface Ocean Circulation and Coastal Surface Currents in the China Ocean Reanalysis Global Version 2.0 (CORA2)[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2026, 41(6): 661-676.
The China Ocean Reanalysis Global Version 2.0 (CORA2) is a global eddy-resolving ice-ocean coupled reanalysis forced by atmospheric fields and tidal forcing, whose currents resolve both large-scale ocean circulation and tidal currents. The two components can be separated using a 24-hour averaging approach, in which the 24-hour averaged ocean currents approximate the large-scale circulations represented in CORA2. First, a statistical error analysis of CORA2 24-hour mean currents at 15 m depth was performed using 2019 drift velocities from SVP drifters with drogues. The results were benchmarked against the reanalysis products GREP and GLORYS12v1, alongside the satellite-derived current dataset GLOBCURRENT, to assess their performance in reproducing near-surface ocean circulation. The results reveal that CORA2 and GREP feature weak zonal westward (eastward) currents within the trade wind belt, alongside strong westward (eastward) currents in the westerly wind belt; GLORYS12v1 displays the inverse pattern. While current magnitudes from all datasets are underestimated relative to SVP drifter observations, this bias is far milder in the high-resolution CORA2 and GLORYS12v1 than in the coarser GREP and GLOBCURRENT. Additionally, their zonal and meridional velocity standard deviations better match the drifter measurements. These findings suggest that finer horizontal resolution improves simulated current magnitudes and better captures strong oceanic current variability. Though CORA2 does not outperform other datasets in terms of Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE) and correlation coefficients for zonal and meridional velocity (U/V) components, numerical sensitivity experiments confirm that optimized Sea Level Anomaly (SLA) assimilation schemes can substantially boost the accuracy of CORA2 surface currents.Second, a comparative evaluation of 3-hourly surface currents from CORA2 and SMOC was carried out using error statistics and harmonic analysis, based on 2022 High-Frequency (HF) radar measurements at the LSIYKO, SPUDCN, and NADHL stations. The results show that at stations dominated by strong tidal currents, CORA2 simulated tides agree closely with radar observations, making CORA2 markedly more accurate than SMOC. At stations with weak tidal and residual circulations but prominent Stokes drift, CORA2 considerably overpredicts tidal currents, resulting in elevated overall errors. At locations where tidal and residual currents are comparable in magnitude and both far exceed Stokes drift, CORA2 and SMOC each exhibit unique strengths. The results reveal that CORA2 and GREP feature weak zonal westward (eastward) currents within the trade wind belt, alongside strong westward (eastward) currents in the westerly wind belt.