This constructs an idealized temperature and salinity distribution based on zonal averages of annual means from the Levitus (1982) data. The distribution is only a function of latitude and depth and is contained totally within MOM so no external datasets are needed. This option makes MOM easily portable to various computer platforms.
Recommendation: As a matter of strategy, it is recommended that any new model be first set up using option idealized_ic to eliminate problems which could potentially come from more realistic initial conditions. Only after the model sucessfully executes and the solution is judged reasonable should more realistic initial conditions be considered.