ESTIMATION OF THE HEIGHT OF SWELL IN THE WHITE AND BARENTS SEAS

The SWAN spectral wave model was realized for the White and Barents seas, as well as for the northern part of theAtlantic. A new irregular grid was used for calculation with 1° interval for the Atlantic, 0.5° for the Barents Sea and 0.2° for theWhite Sea. The input wind data were the NCEP CFSR reanalysis data of high resolution (about 0.3°). The results of numerical experiments made it possible to estimate the influence of swell originating from theNorthern Atlanticon the White and Barents seas, thus contributing to the solution of the problem of open boundaries while simulating wave processes in the seas. In the process of three numerical experiments the wind field over the White and Barents seas was «switched off» in order to isolate the influence of swell originating from the Northern Atlantic. The impact doesn’t exceed0.25 mwithin the White Sea, while it is above5 mfor theBarents Sea. The height of swell coming from the Barents Sea into the White Seais about1 m. The results provide for the estimation of possible errors in the process of wave simulation for the White and Barents seas under the situation of open boundaries and in the absence of waves coming from theNorthern Atlantic. The accuracy of simulation was verified by comparing the results with remote sensing data about wave heights. Correlation of results with the data of satellite altimetry and the WaveWatch3 model showed that in general both models simulate near-real wave heights. The simulated wave height values are 2–3 m above the satellite data, mainly because the averaged remote sensing data represent a largely smoothed wave field. During storms with the waves higher than 6–7 m the swell from the Northern Atlantic has the period of 15–16 s and to the central part of theBarents Seathe peak period changes for 18 s.

1. Aviso Satellite data. URL: http://www.aviso.oceanobs. Com (Accessed: 12.03.2015).

2. CISL Research Data Archive. URL: http://rda.ucar.edu (Accessed: 12.01.2015).

3. Dianskij N.A., Fomin V.V., Kabatchenko I.M. i dr. Vosproizvedenie cirkuljacii Karskogo i Pechorskogo morej s pomoshh’ju sistemy operativnogo diagnoza i prognoza morskoj dinamiki [Simulation of circulation of the Kara and Pechora Seas through the system of express diagnosis and prognosis of marine dynamics], Arktika: jekologija i jekonomika. 2014, no 1 (13), pp. 57–73 (in Russian).

4. Dymov V.I., Pasechnik T.A., Lavrenov I.V. i dr. Sopostavlenie rezul’tatov raschetov po sovremennym modeljam vetrovogo volnenija s dannymi naturnyh izmerenij [Comparison of modern wind-wave model results with field measurements], Meteorologija i gidrologija. 2004, no 7, pp. 87–94 (in Russian).

5. Gusdal Y., Carrasco A., Furevik B.R. et al. Validation of the operational wave model WAM and SWAN // Oceanography. 2009. Rep. Vol. 18. 2010. 28 p.

6. Janssen P., Abdalla S., Hersbsch H., Bidlot J-R. Error estimation of buoy, satellite, and model wave height data // J. Atmosphere and Oceanic Technology. 2006. Vol. 24, iss. 9, pp. 1665–1677.

7. Kabatchenko I.M., Matushevskij G.V., Reznikov M.V., Zaslavskij M.M. Modelirovanie vetra i voln pri vtorichnyh termicheskih ciklonah na Chernom more [Numerical modeling of wind and waves in a secondary cyclone at the Black sea], Meteorologija i gidrologija, 2001, no 5, pp. 61–71 (in Russian).

8. Lindsay R., Wensnahan M., Schweiger A., Zhang J. Evaluation of seven different atmospheric reanalysis products in the Arctic // J. Climate. 2014. Vol. 27, pp. 2588–2606.

9. NOAA Wave Watch 3. URL: http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves (Accessed: 18.04.2015).

10. Ponce de Leуn S., Guedes Soares C. Distribution of winter wave spectral peaks in the seas around Norway // Ocean Engineering. 2012. Vol. 50. p. 63.

11. Reistad M., Breivik O., Haakenstad H. et al. A high-resolution hindcast of wind and waves for the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea // J. Geophys. Res. 2011. Vol. 116. C05019.

12. Rezhim, diagnoz i prognoz vetrovogo volnenija v okeanah I morjah : nauch.-metod. Posobie. Pod red. E.S. Nesterova [Climate, analysis and forecast of wind waves in the oceans and seas: scientific method. allowance. Ed. E.S. Nesterov], M.: Issled. Gruppa «Social’nye nauki», 2013. 295 p. (in Russian).

13. Spravochnye dannye po rezhim u vetra i volnenija Barenceva, Ohotskogo i Kaspijskogo morej [Reference data of wind and waves climate of the Barents, Okhotsk Sea and Caspian Sea], SPb.: Rossijskij morskoj registr sudohodstva, 2003, 213 p. (in Russian).

14. SWAN Technical Documentation, SWAN Cycle III ver. 40.51A // University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands, 2007. Vol. 98.

15. Tolman H.L. Testing of WAVEWATCH III Version 2.22 in NCEP’s NWW3 Ocean Wave Model Suite // NOAA/NWS/NCEP/OMB Techn. Note. 2002. Vol. 214. 99 p.

16. Zelen’ko A.A., Strukov B.S., Resnjanskij Ju.D., Martynov S.L. Sistema prognozirovanija vetrovogo volnenija v Mirovom okeane i morjah Rossii [The forecast system of wind waves in the oceans and seas of Russia], Tr. Gos. okeanograficheskogo in-ta. 2014. Vol. 215, pp. 90–101 (in Russian).