Wave Climate Study for Al Ashkharah - Oman

A multi-year numerical wave jindcast for the entire Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea was completed in this study by means of a global wind-wave model. A hindcast is a procedure by which historical wave condition in a region of interest are developed by numerical or analytical techniques. (By contrast, a forecast is a prediction of future wave conditions). The basic inputs to the hindcast model consist of a regular grid defining the water depths and shorelines in the region of interest, and time-verying wind fields.The model produces as output a detailed description of wave conditions thoughout the model grid domain. Tropical cyclones were also addressed separately. A second generation (2G) spectral wave model based on the W A V A D model (Resio, 1981, Resio et al, 1989 and 1999) initially developed by the U.S army Ctops of Engineers (USACE) was utilized. The W A V A D model has been used extensively by the USACE to define the wave climate around the United States as part of the USACE's Wave Information Study (WIS). The model has also been extensively tasted and verified at a range of sites throughout the world. Baird & Associates has undertaken considerable modifications to the W A V A D numerics in order to both improve its computational speed and improve its swell propagation characteristics.