Wave modelling in the Western Mediterranean Sea with WWIII

The paper describes the results of a first step toward the final objective of building an operational model system for hindcasting and forecasting sea states from the open ocean to the coastline. The Mediterranean Sea is selected as a test case area with a focus on the Tuscany coastline to evaluate coastal wave dynamics. A sensitivity analysis is conducted at the Mediterranean scale using the WAVEWATCH III (WWIII) model with a homogeneous forcing wind field. The analysed parameters are wind input and energy dissipation due to “whitecapping”, which are the main processes involved in deep water. Model results of significant wave height (Hm0) and peak period (Tp) are compared with results obtained by the growth curves of Young and Verhagen (1996) modified by Breugem and Holthuijsen (2007). Further simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of WWIII forced by two different wind sources, the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFRS) and the ERA-Interim. The results of the simulations are validated against data measured in the Ligurian Sea. The analysis of the results indicate a better performance of WWIII forced by the wind obtained from CFSR.