A good documentation aids in understanding the big picture as well as the little details which are necessary if a model is to be used and extended by many researchers. To this end, details of numerics right down to the subscripts within this documentation consistantly match what is found in the model code. This level of detail plus a straightforward coding style bolsters the scientific accessibility of MOM. It also provides another way of verifying that complicated numerics are correct. The manual should be considered a living document which actively reflects the current status of MOM as well as serving as a repository for details inappropriate for published papers and guidelines for usage of parameterizations. Therefore, understanding this manual will allow researchers to take a big step towards gaining a working knowledge of MOM.