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A WAVEWATCH III® Model Approach to Investigating Ocean Wave Source Terms for West Africa: Input-Dissipation Source Terms

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Abstract

Input and dissipation source terms contribute significantly to the projection of ocean wave properties in numerical wave models. They form an integral part of the wave energy balance equation. This study investigates the appropriate input-dissipation source terms (Sin-ds) that best estimate the significant wave heights and wave directions in the entire West Africa region (latitudes 10° S–30° N; longitudes 35° W–15° E) and two sub-divisions (north-western or Canary Current sub-region: latitudes 10° N–25° N; longitudes 30° W–10° W, and south-eastern or Gulf of Guinea sub-region: latitudes 2° S–8° N; longitudes 10° W–10° E) using the WAVEWATCH III® (WW3) numerical ocean wave model version 5.16. Five Sin-ds (WAM Cycle 3, ST1; WAM Cycle 4 and variants, ST3; Tolman & Chalikov (1996), ST2; Ardhuin et al. (2010), ST4; and Zieger et al. (2015) ST6) and two additional variants (ST2STAB and ST4STAB) implemented in the WW3 model were investigated and outputs compared with field measured data from four stations in the region. For simulations of the sub-grids, ST2STAB best estimates significant wave heights for both the combined stations of the south-eastern grid and the north-western grid, whereas ST6 and ST2STAB best estimate wave directions for the respective sub-grids. For simulations of the entire West Africa grid, the Sin-ds that best estimate the significant wave heights are ST3, ST2STAB, ST2STAB and ST4/ST4STAB, while ST6, ST4/ST4STAB, ST2STAB and ST1 best estimate wave directions for the four respective stations. A combination of all the stations for the entire West Africa region revealed that ST2STAB best estimates significant wave heights indicated by lowest Hanna & Heinold (1985). American Petroleum Institute.) performance index (HH) and normalized bias index (NBI) values of 0.34 and −23.09% respectively. Wave directions on the other hand are best estimated by ST6 with the least NBI value and mean bias of −1.23% and −1.68±21.48°, respectively, for the entire region. ST2STAB and ST6 are thus identified to be suitable for wave height and wave direction modelling respectively for the entire West Africa region. A major conclusion of this study is that different Sin-ds best estimates the wave heights and directions in the West Africa region. However, ST2STAB would be the appropriate source terms to be used in projecting both wave height and direction since very little differences exist among the various source terms in projecting wave directions.

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source terms investigated. Run time is normalized by the maximum time of 136,113.05 s

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Availability of Data and Material

In this paper, wind data used for model simulation were downloaded from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS) server, https://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/hindcasts/multi_1/; Satellite observed wave data were obtained from the Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data (AVISO) web portal, https://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/es/data/products/wind/wave-products/mswh/mwind.html; Satellite observed wind data were obtained from IFREMER web portal, ftp://ftp.ifremer.fr/ifremer/cersat/products/gridded/MWF/L3/ASCAT/Daily/Netcdf/; and PIRATA meteorological buoy data were obtained from https://ftp1.ifremer.fr/Core/INSITU_GLO_NRT_OBSERVATIONS_013_030/history/mooring/. The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Data analysis and figures were generated using MATLAB®.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences of the University of Ghana, as well as the Regional Marine Centre at the University of Ghana for making buoy data from Ghana and Cabo Verde available. Thanks also to the International Marine and Dredging Consultants (IMDC) for making available ADCP data from Ghana. Thanks to Dr. Zacharie Sohou of IRHOB, Benin, for making buoy data from Benin available under the auspices of the GMES and Africa programme.

The wave model run computations was done using high-performance computing (HPC) resources provided by the University of Ghana and the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) programme. Additional cloud computing and HPC resources was provided by the EU sponsored WEkEO Copernicus DIAS and the Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) in South Africa through the Weather, Climate and Water (ERTH0955) group of CHPC.

Thanks also to Prof. Benjamin L. Lamptey of the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, and formerly of the Ghana Meteorological Agency and Regional Maritime University both in Ghana, and the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) in Niamey, Niger, for facilitating access to the CHPC.

The study was supported by the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa (GMES & Africa) programme at the University of Ghana. Partial financial support was provided by the Open Society Foundation (OSF) under the Enhancing Efficiency and Effectiveness–Climate Change and Sustainability Development (EEE-CCSD) project. This study is part of the PhD. thesis of Bennet Atsu Kwame Foli.

We also thank the anonymous reviewers whose comments helped improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG99, Legon, Ghana

    Bennet Atsu Kwame Foli, Kwasi Appeaning Addo & George Wiafe

  2. Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, c/o P.O. Box LG99, Legon, Ghana

    Bennet Atsu Kwame Foli & George Wiafe

  3. Department of Mathematics, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

    Joseph K. Ansong

  4. Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

    Kwasi Appeaning Addo

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Foli, B.A.K., Ansong, J.K., Addo, K.A. et al. A WAVEWATCH III® Model Approach to Investigating Ocean Wave Source Terms for West Africa: Input-Dissipation Source Terms. Remote Sens Earth Syst Sci 5, 95–117 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41976-021-00065-y

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