The Influence of Hindcast Modeling Uncertainty on the Prediction of High Return Period Wave Conditions

Extreme value analysis for the prediction of long return period met-ocean conditions is often based upon hindcast studies of wind and wave conditions. The random errors associated with hindcast modeling are not usually incorporated when fitting an extreme value distribution to hindcast data. In this paper, a modified probability distribution function is derived so that modeling uncertainties can be explicitly included in extreme value analysis. Maximum likelihood estimation is then used to incorporate hindcast uncertainty into return value estimates and confidence intervals. The method presented here is compared against simulation techniques for accounting for hindcast errors. The influence of random errors within modeled datasets on predicted 100 year return wave estimates is discussed.© 2004 ASME