As an open source software based on dynamic quad/octrees adaptive mesh,Gerris receives more and more interest from researchers in ocean and hydrology.This paper reviews the development background,research status,main features of Gerris.Numerical scheme of Gerris,including dynamic quad/octrees adaptive grid,dynamic load-balancing technique,general orthogonal curvilinear coordinates,embedded complex geometries and topography,are described in detail.Preliminary applications of Gerris in the numerical investigation of ocean modelling are also demonstrated.Results show that dynamic adaptive grid has a unique advantage in terms of solving multi-scale problems.Precision of geographic features in ocean modelling can be improved by applications of adaptive grid.Handling terrain and grid through data in GTS (or KDT) format can meet the requirements in both accuracy and usability.As a result,combining Gerris with other ocean models has become an important direction in Gerris future development.