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WAVEWATCH III References

The content provided on this page supports model development. These are not official NWS products and should not be relied upon for operational purposes. This web site is not subject to 24/7 support, and thus may be unavailable during system outages.

Operationally generated graphics of the wave fields (no spectra or source terms) are available from Model Analyses and Guidance.

Bulletin files are available from the Production FTP/HTTPS server. Look for gfs.YYYYMMDD/CC/wave/station/bulls.tCCz/gfswave.stationID.bull


Papers

  • Alves, J. H. G. M., Y. Y. Chao and H. L. Tolman, 2005: The Operational North Atlantic Hurricane Wind-Wave Forecasting System at NOAA/NCEP. NOAA / NWS / NCEP / MMAB Technical Note Nr. 244, 59 pp (5.0 MB pdf file)

  • Caplan, P. J, Derber, W. Gemmill, S.-Y. Hong, H.-L. Pan and D. Parish, 1997: Changes to the 1995 NCEP operational medium-range forecast model analysis/forecast system. Wea. Forecasting., 12, 581-594.
  • Chao. Y. Y., L. D. Burroughs, and H. L. Tolman, 2003a: The North Atlantic hurricane wind wave forecasting system. NWS/NCEP Technical Procedures Bulletin 478.

  • Chao. Y. Y., L. D. Burroughs, and H. L. Tolman, 2003b: Wave forecasting for the Eastern North Pacific and adjacent waters. NWS/NCEP Technical Procedures Bulletin 491.

  • Chao. Y. Y., L. D. Burroughs, and H. L. Tolman, 2003c: Wave forecasting for the Western North Atlantic and adjacent waters. NWS/NCEP Technical Procedures Bulletin 495.

  • Chao, Y. Y., L.D. Burroughs, and H. L. Tolman, 2003d: Wave forecasting for Alaskan waters. NWS/NCEP Technical Procedures Bulletin 496.

  • Chao, Y.Y., and H.L. Tolman, 2000: Numerical experiments on predicting hurricane generated wind waves. Preprints 6th international workshop on wave hindcasting and forecasting, Environment Canada, 167-179.

  • Chao, Y. Y., and H. L. Tolman, 2001: Specification of hurricane wind fields for ocean wave prediction. Ocean Wave Measurement and Analysis, San Francisco, CA, B. L. Edge and J. M. Hemsley, Eds., ASCE, 671-679.

  • Chen, H. S., L. D. Burroughs, and H. L. Tolman, 2003: Ocean surface waves. NWS/NCEP Technical Procedures Bulletin 494.

  • Derber, J.C., Parish, D.F. and Lord, S.J., 1991: The new global operational analysis system at the National Meteorological Center. Wea. Forecasting , 6, 538-547.

  • Gerling, T.W., 1992: Partitioning sequences and arrays of directional wave spectra into component wave systems. J. Atmos. Ocean. Techn. , 9, 444-458.

  • Grumbine, R.W., 1996: Automated passive microwave sea ice concentration analysis at NCEP. NWS/NCEP/OMB technical note 120, 13pp.

  • Kanamitsu, M., 1989 Description of the NMC global data assimilation and forecast system. Wea. Forecasting, 4, 335-243.

  • Kanamitsu, M., Alpert, J.C., Campana, K.A., Caplan, M.P., Deaven, D.G., Iredell, M., Katz, B., Pan, H.-L., Sela, J. and White, G.H., 1991: Recent changes implemented into the global forecast system at NMC. Wea. Forecasting , 6, 425-435.

  • Tolman, H. L., 1995: On the selection of propagation schemes for a spectral wind wave model. NWS/NCEP Office Note 411, 30 pp. + figures.

  • Tolman, H. L., 1998a: Validation of NCEP's ocean winds for the use in wind wave models. Global Atmosphere and Ocean System, 6, 243-268.

  • Tolman, H. L., 1998b: Validation of a new global wave forecast system at NCEP. In: Ocean Wave Measurements and Analysis, B.L. Edge and J.M. Helmsley, Eds., ASCE, 777-786.

  • Tolman, H. L., 1999: User manual and system documentation of WAVEWATCH-III version 1.18. NOAA / NWS / NCEP / OMB technical note 166, 110 pp. (0.76 MB pdf file).

  • Tolman, H. L., 2001: Improving propagation in ocean wave models. Ocean Wave Measurement and Analysis, San Francisco, CA, B. L. Edge and J. M. Hemsley, Eds., ASCE, 507-516.

  • Tolman, H. L., 2002a: Distributed memory concepts in the wave model WAVEWATCH III. Parallel Computing, 28, 35-52.

  • Tolman, H. L., 2002b: Validation of WAVEWATCH III version 1.15 for a global domain. NOAA / NWS / NCEP / OMB Technical Note Nr. 213, 33 pp. (2.7 MB pdf file).
  • Tolman, H. L., 2002c: Alleviating the Garden Sprinkler Effect in wind wave models. Ocean Modelling, 4, 269-289.

  • Tolman, H.L. 2002d: Limiters in third-generation wind wave models. Global Atmos. and Ocean. System, 8, 67-83.

  • Tolman, H. L., 2002e: Testing of WAVEWATCH III version 2.22 in NCEP's NWW3 ocean wave model suite. NOAA / NWS / NCEP / OMB Technical Note Nr. 214, 99 pp. (13 MB color pdf, also available in grey scale).

  • Tolman, H. L., 2002f: User manual and system documentation of WAVEWATCH-III version 2.22. NOAA / NWS / NCEP / OMB technical note 222, 133 pp. (0.89 MB pdf file).
  • Tolman, H. L., 2002g: The 2002 release of WAVEWATCH III. Preprints 7th International Workshop on Wave Hindcasting and Forecasting, Banff, Canada, 188-197.

  • Tolman, H. L., 2003a: Treatment of unresolved islands and ice in wind wave models. Ocean Modelling, 5, 219-231.

  • Tolman, H. L., 2003b: Optimum Discrete Interaction Approximations for wind waves. Part I: mapping using inverse modeling. . NOAA / NWS / NCEP / OMB technical note 227, 57 pp. + Appendices (3.8 MB pdf file).
  • Tolman, H. L., 2003c: Running WAVEWATCH III on a Linux cluster. NOAA / NWS / NCEP / MMAB Technical Note 228, 27 pp (0.55 MB pdf file).
  • Tolman, H. L., J. H. G. M. Alves and Y. Y. Chao, 2004: A review of operational forecasing of wind generated waves by hurricane Isabel at NCEP. NOAA / NWS / NCEP / MMAB Technical Note Nr. 235, 45 pp (6.6 MB pdf file).
  • Tolman, H. L., B. Balasubramaniyan, L. D. Burroughs, D. V. Chalikov, Y. Y. Chao, H. S. Chen, and V. M. Gerald, 2002: Development and implementation of wind generated ocean surface wave models at NCEP. Weather and Forecasting, 17, 311-333.

  • Tolman, H. L., and N. Booij, 1998: Modeling wind waves using wavenumber-direction spectra and a variable wavenumber grid. Global Atmosphere and Ocean System, 6, 295-309.

  • Tolman, H. L., and D. V. Chalikov, 1994: Development of a third-generation ocean wave model at NOAA-NMC. Proc. Waves - Physical and numerical modelling , M. Isaacson and M.C. Quick Eds., Vancouver, 724-733.

  • Tolman, H. L., and D. V. Chalikov, 1996: Source terms in a third-generation wind-wave model. J. Phys. Oceanogr, 26, 2497-2518.

  • Wingeart, K. M., W. C. O'Reilly, T. H. C. Herbers, P. A. Wittmann, R. E. Jenssen, and H. L. Tolman, 2001: Validation of operational global wave prediction models with spectral buoy data. Ocean Wave Measurement and Analysis, San Francisco, CA, B. L. Edge and J. M. Hemsley, Eds., ASCE, 590-599.

Documentation of Model Changes

Other Online Presentations

  • NOAA WAVEWATCH III, How to use the web page. July 2000.

  • Southern Region Marine Forecasters Training Workshop slides March 2002, or pdf handouts (1.6Mb).

  • Western Region Marine Forecasters Training Workshop slides May 2003, or pdf handouts (1.4Mb).

  • New England Marine Workshop slides October 2002, or pdf handouts (0.6Mb).

  • Mid-Atlantic Region Workshop PDF handout (1.4Mb), June 2003. Slides from 7th Int. Workshop on Wave Hindcasting and Forecasting, Oct. 20-25, 2002, Banff, Canada.

  • Slides from Caribbean wave and storm surge workshop, first presentation, June. 16-20, 2003, Halifax, Canada (pdf).

  • Slides from Caribbean wave and storm surge workshop, second presentation, June. 16-20, 2003, Halifax, Canada (pdf).