NOTICE: Upgrade to the Global Wave Forecasting System Multi_1
Effective on or about January 9, 2018, beginning with the 1200
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) run, the National Centers for
Environmental Prediction (NCEP) will make a major upgrade to
the Global Wave Forecasting System (Multi_1).
Upgrade highlights:
- Adding a North Polar Stereographic Grid extending to near the
North Pole
- Extending hourly grib2 output out to 120 hours
Full details on the upgrade may be found in the
Service Change Notice 17-129
The operational ocean wave predictions of NOAA/NWS/NCEP use
the wave model WAVEWATCH III®
using operational NCEP products as input.
Detailed description of the WAVEWATCH III® model and source code
distribution.
The model is
run four times a day: 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z. Each run starts
with 9-, 6- and 3-hour hindcasts and produces forecasts of every 3 hours from the
initial time out to 180 hours (84 hours for the Great Lakes).
The wave model suite consists of global and regional nested grids.
As background information, a list of selected references
and a chronological list of model changes are
available. Finally, validation data are available for the multigrid model.
Click on image to enlarge
Forecast Zones
Click to open the Product Viewer for the selected
zone (latest model run)
NOAA WAVEWATCH III® Hindcast and Reanalysis Archives
MMAB currently maintains two classes of WAVEWATCH III®
hindcasts.
- A thirty-year hindcast generated from the
NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis and Reforecast (CFSRR)
homogeneous dataset of hourly high-resolution winds. The time
period covers from 1979 through 2009. This is a true hindcast
generated with a single version of the model and a statistically
consistent forcing wind field, and is suitable for use in climate
studies.
- An ongoing data set produced by rerunning the model from the
operational wind fields to produce best-estimate nowcast datasets.
This is a statistically inhomogeneous hindcast data set, because the
underlying models are periodically updated. Therefore this data set
should not be used for climate studies.
Detailed descriptions of the hindcasts and reanalyses,
with links to the datasets,
validation statistics from buoy match-ups, and visualizations of the
model data fields, can be found in the
WAVEWATCH
III® Hindcast and Reanalysis Archives
WAVEWATCH III® Tutorials
Two COMET
modules are available regarding WAVEWATCH III® and analysis of ocean swell:
Registration is free for the courses.
Disclaimer
While WAVEWATCH III® is an operational model, we cannot guarantee the
timeliness or accuracy of the model data and figures offered on this site.
Please see our disclaimer for more information.
Questions or Comments?
We welcome any questions or comments you may have on the WAVEWATCH III®
system.
Sign up for the
MMAB mailing list
for updates and information on these products.
For questions or problems with the website please
contact us.
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