FY 1979

Providing winds for wave models

Overland, J.E.

In Ocean Wave Climate, M.D. Earle and A. Malahoff (eds.), Plenum Pub. Corp., New York, 3–38 (1979)

Wave forecasts and hindcasts are almost universally derived from wind fields. This paper reviews the meteorological computer models used by the National Weather Service and Fleet Numerical Weather Central to analyze and forecast sea level pressure fields. Geostrophic and surface wind relationships are reviewed and it is shown that errors in the input pressure fields are comparable to regional and seasonal thermal corrections to the geostrophic drag coefficient. The meteorological record is also the data source for hindcasting waves during extreme events such as hurricanes and provides frequency information as the basis for climatological assessment studies.