Regional and Coastal Wave Modeling (SWAN; WW3)

Description

A nested wave-modeling workflow that carries waves from deep water to the shoreline. Offshore and regional wave fields come from WaveWatch III (WW3) or SWAN, and a higher-resolution nearshore SWAN domain, on a structured or unstructured mesh, is nested inside to propagate those waves across the shelf and into shallow water, where refraction, shoaling, and depth-induced breaking reshape wave height, period, and direction. A Python-based workflow handles setting up and running the nested domains.

Standalone wave runs like this are the right tool when a project needs wave fields on their own, without a coupled circulation model. For coupled wave and storm-surge simulations, see Hurricane Wave and Storm Surge Modeling.

Examples

• Wave Model Grid Comparison: Hurricane Harvey (WW3 to SWAN, Structured vs. Unstructured)
• Wave Model Grid Comparison: Hurricane Ike (WW3 to SWAN, Structured vs. Unstructured)

Thumbnail: Breaking ocean wave — public domain (NOAA), via Wikimedia Commons.