About OpenDrift

OpenDrift is an open-source software package for modeling particle trajectories in ocean and atmospheric systems. Developed as a flexible framework, it simulates drift and fate of oil, microplastics, ships, persons, and other particles. The tool enables researchers to track where substances move and how they transform over time.

OpenDrift uses forcing data from oceanographic and atmospheric models to compute particle movement. The software reads current, wind, and wave data from multiple sources and file formats. Furthermore, it outputs results in CF-compliant netCDF files for easy analysis and integration with other tools.

Key Features

• Also open source under GPLv2 license for full transparency and modification.
• Furthermore, the modular Python architecture allows users to implement custom physics and biological processes.
• In addition, it simulates transport at multiple depths with buoyancy and turbulence calculations.
• Additionally, the tool handles diverse forcing data formats and map projections from any oceanographic model.
• Moreover, backward-in-time simulation capability enables source identification studies.
• Finally, optimized vectorized code delivers fast computation despite input data bandwidth constraints.

Access and Data

OpenDrift is freely available as open-source software on GitHub and accessible via the official documentation site. The tool requires Python installation and works with any publicly available oceanographic forcing data. Users can start by reviewing specifications and the data model documentation provided on the project website.