Effects of Winds, Tides, and Storm Surges on Ocean Surface Waves

in the Japan/East Sea

Shuyi S. Chen and Wei ZhaoRSMAS/University of Miami

Cheryl Ann BlainNRL/Stennis Space Center

Objectives

• To understand the interactive processes of the ocean-atmosphere system in the Japan/East Sea (JES) region, especially the effects of the atmospheric forcing associated with the wintertime cold-air outbreak events which are modulated strongly by the complex coastal topography.

Atmosphere-Wave-Ocean Coupling

• Atmospheric surface forcing

• Wind-induced ocean surface waves

• Oceanic response and feedback

MM5 (atmosphere)• non-hydrostatic, 28 vertical levels, triple nests with

grid spacing of 45, 15, 5 km.

WAVEWATCH III (surface wave)• 4-D Spectrum Model [(x, y), (k, • 1/12 degree grid spacing• 25 frequency bands• 48 directional frequency bands(evenly spaced by

7.5o)

ADCIR-2DDI (hydrodynamic)• finite element, 3 km (coastal) – 70 km (deep ocean)• tidal potential and elevations at open boundary

Models

NSCAT

MM5 ECMWF

NCEPSST

PFSST

PFSST-NCEPSST

MM5 Winds/SWH

ECMWF Winds/SWH

MM5 Winds/Wavelength

ECMWF Winds/Wavelength

StormNon-Storm

Conclusions

Surface waves are most sensitive to spatial and temporal resolutions of the atmospheric forcing.

Tides and storm surges can have a significant impact on the waves near shores when water depth decrease sharply.