Comparing wave heights simulated in the Black Sea by the SWAN model with satellite data and direct wave measurements

Abstract

The results of wave simulation in the Black Sea using the SWAN spectral wave model and wind forcing data from the NCEP/CFSR reanalyze are presented in this paper. The calculations were done using the special unstructured mesh with spatial resolution of 10 km in the open sea and 200 m in the Tsemes Bay. The assessment of the wave simulation accuracy was performed on the basis of the satellite altimetry data and direct wave measurements in the shallow water. When comparing the calculated significant wave height with observational data the correlation equaled 0.8, while the root mean square error equaled 0.3. The comparison of simulation results and satellite data also showed good correlation.