Open AccessAssessing the Performance of the Dissipation Parameterizations in WAVEWATCH III Using Collocated Altimetry Data
Author(s) -
Georgia D. Kalantzi,
Christine Gommenginger,
Meric Srokosz
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of physical oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.706
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1520-0485
pISSN - 0022-3670
DOI - 10.1175/2009jpo4182.1
Subject(s) - swell , altimeter , dissipation , wind wave model , wave model , significant wave height , wind wave , forcing (mathematics) , meteorology , wave height , sea state , wind speed , term (time) , environmental science , geology , climatology , remote sensing , physics , oceanography , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Wave-breaking dissipation is one of the least understood processes implemented in contemporary wavemodels. Significant effort has been put in its parameterization, but it has not proven to be totally satisfactory,either theoretically or practically. In this work, theWAVEWATCH III (version 2.22; Tolman) wave model isused to evaluate the two wind input/dissipation source term packages that it includes: (i) Wave Model(WAM)cycle 3 (WAMDIG) and (ii) Tolman and Chalikov. Global model outputs were obtained under the same windforcing for the two dissipation formulations and were collocated in space and time in the north Indian Oceanwith Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX) altimeter data. The performance of the model was assessedby evaluating the statistical behavior of the collocated datasets. The parameters examined were significantwave height, wind speed, wind direction, wave direction, wave height for fully developed seas, and energy lossdue to wave breaking. From the results, the behavior of the input/dissipation formulations in specific wind andwave conditions was identified; that is, the results give insight to the way the two source term packages ‘‘work’’and how they respond to local wind sea or swell. Specifically, both of the packages were unable to performadequately during a season when the area can be mostly affected by swell. However, the results confirmed thatthe examination of only integral spectral wave parameters does not give information on the inherent physicalcharacteristics of the formulations. Further study, on the basis of point spectra, is necessary to examine theformulations’ performance across the wave spectrum