Implementation and evaluation of an operational ocean wave forecasting system along the coast of West Iberia

Abstract

This paper describes the operational wave forecasting system that has been implemented at the Portuguese Institute for Ocean and Atmosphere (IPMA) along the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This system is based on the Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model, is forced at the boundaries by the Limited-Area Wave (LAW) model forecasts generated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and by the 10m wind fields from the ALADIN atmospheric model. Moreover, the performance of three SWAN whitecapping parameterisations is evaluated. This evaluation is performed for significant wave height, mean wave period and mean wave direction forecasts through comparisons with observations from four buoys over a six month period. Finally, it gives a short evaluation of the operational version of SWAN model at IPMA during the recent Christina Storm.